US throws weight behind Thai submarine cable that skips South China Sea

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) on Monday announced funding for a feasibility study on a new transpacific submarine cable linking the US with Thailand and as many as five other Southeast Asian nations, as Washington seeks to expand secure digital infrastructure in the region.
The proposed cable that could extend up to 18,507km (11,500 miles) long would connect Thailand with the United States via Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, “while avoiding the South...