Ander Gillenea/AFP via Getty Images China is being accused of supporting private investment in Pacific underwater cable projects to spy on other nations, Newsweek reported. A Reuters investigation found that US government officials had warned Pacific island nations against awarding underwater cable contracts to Chinese state-linked firms. These contracts are related to the Kiribati Connectivity Project (KCP), which was designed to improve communications to the island nations of Nauru, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Kiribati. In response to the accusation, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry told Reuters that the United States was attempting to smear Chinese companies.