28th Parliamentary Intelligence -Security Forum – US-China Strategic Competition: Implications for the Indo-Pacific

Mr. John Strand gave a presentation on the new geopolitical reality that focus on building and protecting information society infrastructures. He highlighted the implications of being reliant to Chinese telecommunication equipment and technologies that pose risks in the virtual space and operations of client countries such as disruptions in supply chains, personal data exploitation, and espionage, to name a few. He recounted that European and some ASEAN countries are now opting out of investing on Chinese equipment, eventually phasing out or replacing the existing cheaper but suspicious Chinese suppliers to more costly but trustworthy vendors that will not take advantage of its clients’ critical information and industrial infrastructures. He cited Vietnam, a fellow ASEAN member state that has a similar form of government and economic model as China but does not rely on the latter’s communication technologies. Instead, Vietnam strived to build its own telecommunications networks with its nation’s security and integrity in mind.

The challenge lies in China’s ability to offer seemingly better deals. Its products are less costly and promise being at par, if not better, than its expensive counterparts. China tends to present alternatives that boast its innovative prowess in providing solutions that require the least resources. However, Mr. Strand underlined the dangers of transacting with adversarial countries like China that will leverage its exported goods and services to benefit the interests of its autocratic regime. Whatever anomalies may exist in these state-sponsored telecommunications ventures, Mr. Strand believes that the Chinese government is well aware of them.