Laporan: Pemotong Kabel Bawah Laut Baru China; Robot Baru #underseacable #teknologi

The largest rival of Washington, China, is getting ready to enter the underwater battle arena. The last two reports show that China is building a machine that can destroy almost all types of underwater cables in the world, as well as robots that can dive to the lowest point of the ocean on earth. Both technologies seem to have been developed with the Pentagon's strategic assets in mind, including the most important thing in defense, the island of Guam. The development of a device that can destroy underwater infrastructure is unusual, even for a superpower like China. But a report shows that cutting off new Chinese cables could be a weakness for 95% of global underwater cables. This includes cables that have been strengthened, coated with iron and planted far below sea level. And this is a big problem. Underwater cables function as an important information channel that connects various countries globally. 95% of global data flows through it, including transactions worth more than US$10 trillion every day. Destroying that network will be very damaging, like when 13,000 people on Matsu Island were released from an animal beach, disconnected from the Internet for more than two months in 2023. It happened after two Chinese ships damaged the underwater cables connecting the island to the outside world. Back to cutting off new Chinese cables, it seems that it will be combined with Chinese ships, submarines, drones and robots. The news came after Chinese ships were accused of deliberately damaging German and Swedish underwater cables. The Chinese Command has denied all those accusations. According to top Chinese experts specializing in underwater technology, the Chinese equipment is designed for civilian use, such as underwater mining. However, its great potential has concerned many countries, considering the importance of underwater cables and their potential risks. Hong Kong news outlet, South China Morning Post, reported that the equipment will pose a threat to military bases in Guam. But why? The Guam region of the US is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and is very dependent on underwater cables for communication. This is also an important point for the Pentagon's plan to fight China. But not only that. Other Chinese technologies are also worrying, such as an underwater robot that was introduced almost at the same time. The Chinese research team behind it has also tested it, sending it far into the deepest ocean on earth, Mariana Trench. Its location is also only 200 miles from Guam. The robot has successfully dived within 10 kilometers, reaching the deepest point at the bottom of the sea and completing the difficult task when it is there. As a comparison, the deepest part of Mariana Trench is the same as 24 Empire State Buildings arranged vertically below. Will this new technology give China new dominance for underwater infrastructure? The answer is no. Last year, the Australian think tank reviewed US, Russian and Chinese submarine technology and concluded that the US is still 50 years ahead. The Pentagon continues to distribute large funds in this field every year, making the US submarine the most difficult to detect in the world.