SECOND SOUTHEAST ASIA–PACIFIC DIALOGUE: CONNECTING SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC THROUGH RESILIENT SUBMARINE CABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

As part of the 18^th South China Sea International Conference, the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam (DAV) organized the Second Southeast Asia–Pacific Dialogue under the theme “Connecting Southeast Asia and the Pacific through Resilient Submarine Cable Infrastructure” on 15 October 2026 in Hanoi.

The Dialogue was attended by Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, President of the DAV; Amb. Dang Dinh Quy, Senior Advisor to the DAV; Dr. Do Thanh Hai, Deputy Director-General in charge of the East Sea (South China Sea) Institute at the DAV; and Ms. Eleanor Kennon, First Secretary at the Australian Embassy in Viet Nam, alongside experts and scholars from Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

The Dialogue featured three discussion rounds, focusing on: (i) Building a shared regional risk picture; (ii) From disruption to restoration; and (iii) Route diversity, financing and compatible frameworks. Throughout the Dialogue, speakers identified operational and systematic vulnerabilities facing submarine cable infrastructure in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, discussed measures to improve incident notification, streamline repair permitting, and strengthen response coordination among governments, operators, and maritime authorities, and put forward practical initiatives to diversify cable routes and promote regional cooperation.

Proposed measures included developing cable routes and landing points, securing financing throughout the infrastructure lifecycle, establishing mechanisms for information sharing and cross-border incident response coordination, and strengthening the exchange of best practices and capacity-building. Speakers also called for leveraging existing cooperation frameworks within ASEAN and the Pacific region, and diversifying funding sources and technology partnerships to enhance national autonomy in addressing security risks and navigating strategic competition.

Addressing the Dialogue, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, President of the DAV commended the Dialogue’s outcomes and proposed holding annual dialogues among ASEAN, Pacific Island countries, and partners such as Australia and New Zealand to facilitate experience-sharing, foster practical cooperation, and safeguard the region’s digital connectivity infrastructure.

Vu Hai Dang, Hoang Minh Ha (East Sea Institute)