Newsweek's Yellow Journalism On China and Cable Cutting Technology

This Newsweek article insinuates that China developed cable cutting technology detailed in a patent application in order to sabotage subsea cables. It is not stated explicitly. But that is clearly the conclusion the author wants the reader to reach. Yet the underlying logic has more holes than my mother's mole infested lawn. And that's a lot of holes. 😃 

1. In order to lift a damaged fibre optic cable onto a ship for repair, it must be severed in most cases because there is usually not enough slack to hoist intact aboard a ship. Secondly, an intact cable weighs a lot and is more difficult to handle than pulling up one end of a severed cable. Hence cutting intact, but damaged cables prior to repair is protocol. So cable cutting technology is not per se evidence of intent to sabotage.

2. According to the patent application mainland China faced a problem with illegal cable laying in its territorial waters This is not as strange as it sounds. For example, the Thai police discovered that 16 illegal fibre optic cables had been deployed across the Friendship bridge that connects Thailand and Laos. "Per reports in the Bangkok Post, The Diplomat and Taiger, the 2nd Friendship Bridge hosted a wide range of illegal cables used for various unapproved “uses,” such as cross-border call center scams. National Broadcasting and Telecommunications commissioner Pol. Gen. Nathathorn Prousoontorn said that a total of 16 large-sized, high-speed fiber optic cables were laid across the bridge. “There were two 216-core cables, two 96-core cables and 14 24-core internet cables.”" So illegal cables along the South Chinese coast sounds perfectly plausible particularly given the region's organized crime gangs.

The Newsweek article tries to manipulate the reader into reaching a conclusion that its author does not have the courage to actually state and defend. It juxtaposes its discussion of the patent with description of recent incidents in which Chinese ships damaged subsea cables probably by dragging anchors. This is called the guilt by association or innuendo fallacy. Mr X's father was an axe murderer. His sister ran a drug operation and his brother was a cannibal. Mr. X keeps very bad company and even drinks beer ...

So what conclusion are we to draw? First of all, technologies that going to be used for sabotage are usually kept secret and undercover. They are not submitted for patent protection in a public database that anyone in or outside China can access. Secondly, there is no evidence that this idea was ever put into practice. Most of the recent Chinese ship incidents involve either fishing or anchor dragging. Finally, we cut cables to repair them or remove them. So intent to cut a cable is not per se intent to sabotage.