U.S. senators Cruz, Rubio warn Pacific ally on Chinese bid for undersea cable project - letter

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's plane makes a landing approach towards Pohnpei International Airport in Kolonia, Federated States of Micronesia, August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Prominent U.S. lawmakers warned a Pacific ally that China risked undermining the security of a sensitive undersea cable project if a cut-price, state-backed bid wins a tender process overseen by development agencies, a letter reviewed by Reuters shows.

In the letter, dated Sept. 18, Republican senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio told the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) that China could leverage its way into the project to wage "campaigns of espionage and geopolitical coercion". Beijing recently imposed symbolic sanctions on both Cruz and Rubio.