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Seventeen Nations Adopt Undersea Cable Defense Framework, US, China Absent

5/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

Seventeen nations unveiled a joint framework for defending undersea cables at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Defense ministers from the 17 countries signed the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges in Singapore.
Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said waterways host critical energy and telecommunications infrastructure and that protection norms are still being developed.
Analysts warned the initiative may be weakened because China and the United States did not participate.

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Story summary

Seventeen nations unveiled a joint framework for defending undersea cables at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Defense ministers from the 17 countries signed the Guiding Principles for Underwater Infrastructure Defence Exchanges in Singapore.
Singapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said waterways host critical energy and telecommunications infrastructure and that protection norms are still being developed.
Analysts warned the initiative may be weakened because China and the United States did not participate.