The plan is a sign that an intensifying tech war between Beijing and Washington risks tearing the fabric of the internet.

China’s three main carriers – China Telecom, China Mobile, and China Unicom – are mapping out one of the world’s most advanced and far-reaching subsea cable networks, according to the four people, who have direct knowledge of the plan. 

Known as EMA (Europe-Middle East-Asia), the proposed cable would link Hong Kong to Hainan island, before snaking its way to Singapore, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France, the four people said.

The cable would be manufactured and laid by China’s HMN Technologies, a fast-growing cable firm whose predecessor company was majority-owned by Chinese telecom giant Huawei, the people said.