Spatial patte...tegic channel_XIE Yongshun.pdf

J.Geogr.Sci.2023,33(4):719-740 DOI:https:/doi.org/10.1007/s11442-023-2103-0 2023 Science Press Springer-Verlag Spatial pattern of global submarine cable network and identification of strategic pivot and strategic channel XIE Yongshun1,2,*WANG Chengjin1,2 1.Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research,CAS,Beijing 100101,China;2.College of Resources and Environment,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China Abstract:As a kind of large-scale connectivity infrastructure,submarine cables play a vital role in international telecommunication,socio-economic development and national defense security.However,the current understanding about the spatial pattern of global submarine cable network is relatively limited.In this article,we analyze the spatial distribution and con-nectivity pattern of global submarine cables,and identify their strategic pivots and strategic channels.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)The spatial distribution of global subma-rine cables is significantly unbalanced,which is characterized by the facts that the distribution of submarine cable lines is similar to that of sea lanes,and the agglomerations of landing stations are distributed unevenly along the coastline.(2)The connectivity pattern of global submarine cable network has a significant scale effect.At the micro,meso and macro scales,the connectivity structure presents chain model,cluster model and hub-and-spoke model,respectively.(3)The distribution of strategic pivots and strategic channels shows a pyramidal hierarchical feature.Singapore ranks highest among all the strategic pivots,while the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Malacca rank highest among the strategic channels.Based on the identification of strategic pivots and channels,six strategic regions have been divided,which face various network security risks and need special attention and vigilance.Keywords:submarine cable network;spatial pattern;strategic pivot;strategic channel;global scale 1 Introduction Historically,the global submarine cable network originated in the mid-19th century.In 1851,the French telegraph company Anglo developed a telegraph cable crossing the English Channel,which opened the prelude to global submarine communication.Since Bell invented the telephone in 1876,the submarine cable served the function of voice communication ex-Received:2022-12-23 Accepted:2023-01-30 Foundation:National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.42071151;Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,No.XDA20010101 Author:Xie Yongshun(1994),PhD,specialized in transportation geography and regional development.E-mail:*Corresponding author:Wang Chengjin(1973),PhD and Professor,specialized in transportation geography and regional development.E-mail: This paper is initially published in Acta Geographica Sinica(Chinese edition),2023,78(2): 720 Journal of Geographical Sciences cept Morse telegraph code.International communication entered a new era following the advent of optical fiber communication technology in the 1960s and the completion of the first global transoceanic submarine optical cable system(TAT-8)in 1988.Since the 21st century,submarine cables have formed a crisscross global network,carrying over 80%of global communication traffic and 99%of intercontinental communication services(Naka-moto et al.,2009).Submarine cables have many advantages,such as large capacity,high communication quality and low cost.In addition to completely replacing the conventional coaxial cable,submarine cables also swiftly replaced the satellite,and occupied an absolute dominant position in the underlying means of correspondence in cyberspace.Modern society is deeply integrated with cyberspace.In such a background,the strategic position of submarine cable is not only reflected in carrying international communication data,but also infiltrates various fields of national security issues,such as network security,financial security and national defense security.For example,in 2008,two submarine cables near Alexandria,Egypt,were cut off in many places by unidentified persons,affecting 76%of the data exchange business in Europe,the Middle East,North Africa and India.In 2014,Russia repeatedly damaged its submarine cable system facilities to impose sanctions on Ukraine,which resulted in the breakdown of communication services in relevant areas,be-coming“information islands”.Thus,it is urgent to make a comprehensive and scientific judgment on the spatial pattern of the global submarine cable network to ensure the global information network security and provide support for the timely optimization of national development strategies.At present,scholars have conducted a series of studies on the evolution and development(Ye,2006;Malecki and Wei,2009),spatial layout(Edwards et al.,2009;Kathryn,2021),impact mechanism(Starosielski,2015;Saunavaara and Salminen,2020),network security(Xie and Wang,2021;Zhang et al.,2021),geopolitics(Headrick,1991;Headrick