Facebook has suspended a project to build a cable in the Pacific Ocean linking California with Hong Kong, against the backdrop of tensions between the United States and China.
A Facebook spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday, "Due to the existing concern by the US government regarding direct contacts between the United States and Hong Kong, we have decided to withdraw the request that we submitted to the Federal Communications Commission."
The source added, "We look forward to working with all parties to reformulate a system that is consistent with the concern of the US government."
It is reported that the social media giant, along with several telecommunications companies, submitted its first building permit application in 2018, to connect two locations in California with Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The project was supposed to facilitate communications over optical fibers capable of transmitting large amounts of data with very short wait times.
But Washington resisted the matter over national security concerns from China, as Beijing tightened its grip on Hong Kong.
In June, the Justice Department recommended that it bypass the tranquil cable proposed by Facebook and Google Hong Kong.
The cable, called the "Pacific Light Cable Network", was supposed to connect the United States, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
The ministry warned that the Hong Kong station "reveals US traffic (to Beijing) and enables it to collect" data.
In April 2020, the FCC granted Google permission to operate the North American-Taiwan line.
