More subsea cables bypass China as Sino-U.S. tensions grow

TOKYO -- Growing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China have begun to affect the flow of global data due to an expected sharp fall in new undersea cables linking China with the rest of the world.

Once billed as a future hub for subsea networks that form vital arteries of international communication, China is expected to see only three cables laid after this year -- fewer than half the number planned for Singapore. The lack of undersea projects is also expected to weigh on the construction of data centers in the country.