The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to allocate over $340 million for more than 50 specific anti-China projects worldwide.
Part of the plan includes spending $175.8 million to replace aging submarine telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America. These cable renewal projects are expected to benefit El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti.
A US State Department official told the Associated Press that China's economic activities in the Western Hemisphere pose a risk to US national security and prosperity. The State Department is preparing a major initiative to curb China's influence in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Draft plans also include developing secure communication technologies against Chinese interference in the selection process of the Dalai Lama's successor, limiting international support for China's space program, and preventing Chinese companies from exporting surveillance and censorship technologies.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded, stating Beijing opposes forming exclusive groupings and that its partnerships aim for shared development rather than geopolitical competition. He defended China's role in building international submarine fiber-optic cable networks, describing them as critical civilian infrastructure.
Politicizing submarine cable issues would disrupt normal international market rules and threaten global digital connectivity.
Lin Jian said China supports international cooperation on submarine cable projects based on the principles of fairness, justice, equality, and inclusiveness.
The Trump administration has expressed deep concerns to the US Congress about China's activities in the Americas, including ownership of ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, Belt and Road Initiative-funded infrastructure projects, and telecommunications investments.