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 discove...