The Politics of Subsea Cables in Indonesia: Navigating Great Power Competition

The document examines how the technological rivalry between the United States and China impacts Indonesia's aspirations to become a regional subsea cable hub. It highlights Indonesia's current 'underdeveloped' hedging strategy, characterized by a preference for affordable Chinese hardware and U.S. software, while lacking a comprehensive national risk mitigation plan. The authors argue that Indonesia's pragmatic, agency-led procurement often overlooks foreign policy implications and risks dependency on single powers. To address this, the brief recommends mapping stakeholders, integrating the Ministry of Foreign Affairs into procurement decisions, collaborating with ASEAN on governance frameworks, and establishing a formal foreign technology investment review mechanism.

• The geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China over subsea cables complicates Indonesia's technology adoption and may hinder its long-term access to technology and alignment with digital norms.
• Indonesia currently lacks a mature national strategy or risk evaluation mechanism to mitigate the effects of U.S.-China competition, often resulting in an indifferent approach to the consequences of mixing technological partners.
• Indonesia's procurement is driven by pragmatism and cost, leading to a reliance on Chinese hardware for domestic infrastructure while preferring U.S. software.
• The U.S. is redirecting subsea cable routes away from the South China Sea and Hong Kong, instead routing them through the Java Sea and Indonesia to avoid Chinese-controlled areas.
• Indonesia's governance of subsea cables is fragmented across multiple government agencies, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) lacks authority in this area, providing only non-binding advisories.
• Indonesia faces specific vulnerabilities including physical damage to cables from earthquakes, anchoring, and fishing, as well as cyber-attacks and a limited ability to cancel contracts with providers due to low purchasing power.

APA

Timur, F. B., Dzakwan, M. H. A., & Carrozza, I. (2024). The Politics of Subsea Cables in Indonesia: Navigating Great Power Competition. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/90b0af2f-19fe-4e16-bd42-8c6d86d8b7ad/PRIO Policy Brief 15-2024.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Timur, Fitri Bintang, Muhammad Habib Abiyan Dzakwan, and Ilaria Carrozza. The Politics of Subsea Cables in Indonesia: Navigating Great Power Competition. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2024. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/90b0af2f-19fe-4e16-bd42-8c6d86d8b7ad/PRIO Policy Brief 15-2024.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Timur |first1=Fitri Bintang |last2=Dzakwan |first2=Muhammad Habib Abiyan |last3=Carrozza |first3=Ilaria |title=The Politics of Subsea Cables in Indonesia: Navigating Great Power Competition |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2024 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/90b0af2f-19fe-4e16-bd42-8c6d86d8b7ad/PRIO Policy Brief 15-2024.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{timur2024politics, author = {Timur, Fitri Bintang and Dzakwan, Muhammad Habib Abiyan and Carrozza, Ilaria}, title = {{The Politics of Subsea Cables in Indonesia: Navigating Great Power Competition}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2024}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/90b0af2f-19fe-4e16-bd42-8c6d86d8b7ad/PRIO Policy Brief 15-2024.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }