The Trump administration is moving to boost funding for programs countering China’s growing global influence.
According to a document obtained by The Associated Press, the administration has notified Congress that it plans to spend $175.8 million to replace telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America to prevent China from having a grip in the region.
The effort, called “Countering CCP Control of Caribbean and Central America Undersea Cables Project,” will “fund the installation of strategically selected undersea cable infrastructure” and support the partnerships of foreign governments with private sector undersea cable installers. The funds will “support replacement of outdated undersea telecommunications cables in the Caribbean and Central America region with secure, U.S. and trusted alternatives,” the document says.
“The United States must respond to the CCP’s growing economic, technological, and diplomatic leverage around the world which undermines our national interests,” it notes.
A 2020 document from the first Trump administration detailed the nation’s approach to China. “Beijing’s military buildup threatens United States and allied national security interests and poses complex challenges for global commerce and supply chains,” the report says. “Beijing’s Military-Civil Fusion (MCF) strategy gives the PLA unfettered access into civil entities developing and acquiring advanced technologies, including state-owned and private firms, universities, and research programs.”
Last year, War Secretary Pete Hegseth warned ally countries that China poses a “real” threat to the Indo-Pacific region. He noted that the country does not conflict with China, but it will also “not be pushed out of this critical region and we will not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated.”
“There’s no reason to sugarcoat it: the threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said, noting that if necessary, the DOD is “prepared to do what the Department of Defense does best: to fight and win, decisively.”
