Washington said the initiative could affect sovereignty and carries significant strategic and geopolitical implications, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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“Over the past two months I have held numerous meetings with ministers and government officials on this issue. I was very clear and frank about our concern over threats not only to Chilean security, but to the security of the entire region,” U.S. Ambassador to Chile Brandon Judd said Monday during a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Santiago.
Chilean officials have said the Chinese-backed project remains under evaluation. However, Chile’s Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications on Jan. 27 approved a 30-year concession to install and operate a transmission network spanning about 12,349 miles across the Pacific Ocean between Chile and Hong Kong.
The decree was annulled two days later, according to local newspaper El Mercurio.In recent days the United States has increased pressure on Chile to abandon the project amid broader geopolitical tensions between China and President Donald Trump’s administration.
With Chilean President Gabriel Boric set to leave office March 11, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the United States revoked visas from three Chilean government representatives for directing or supporting activities considered to threaten critical telecommunications infrastructure.
Among them was Transport and Telecommunications Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz, who approved the cable concession.
Explaining the decision, Judd said the United States respects Chile’s right to pursue commercial agreements that bring prosperity and opportunity, but not those that could endanger sovereignty or critical infrastructure.
“Threats to critical infrastructure that jeopardize or impede sovereignty, especially telecommunications infrastructure, affect us all. We all have a shared interest in this region, our shared neighborhood, and the United States will always take the necessary steps to protect it,” Judd said.
The diplomat also said he had warned Chilean authorities, without success, about cyberattacks by “malicious foreign actors” targeting local telecommunications systems, which he said had put the privacy and personal information of most residents at risk.
“We shared this information with the Chilean government, but to date we have received no response about actions taken to remedy the situation. Since we have received no information, we must assume this has continued, leaving Chileans, Americans and others vulnerable,” he said.
Judd said he expects clearer responses once President-elect José Antonio Kast takes office. Kast has confirmed his attendance at the “Shield of the Americas” summit convened by Trump on March 7 in Miami, where leaders are expected to discuss organized crime, terrorism and illegal immigration.
“In December, the Chilean people voted overwhelmingly for change. They voted for security and prosperity. We look forward to working with the new government to deliver what Chileans demanded. By working together we can ensure this region, our shared neighborhood, is safe and prosperous for all,” Judd said.
The Chile China Express project has generated months of political tension in Chile, including criticism within government and Congress over what lawmakers describe as limited transparency regarding its development and potential consequences.
Deputy Enrique Lee, head of the lower chamber’s Defense Committee, confirmed to UPI that lawmakers will hold a confidential session in March when legislative activity resumes to review the project’s implications. Right now, he said, there is a lack of information.
