Public Works and Telecommunications Minister Louis de Grange said the submarine cable project to connect Chile with China is advancing normally and has not been canceled, contrary to comments by US Ambassador Brandon Judd.

In the early days of José Antonio Kast’s administration, the US diplomat said that the plan to build the cable with China Mobile was “already over,” a possibility that had strained relations between Chile and Washington since Gabriel Boric’s administration.

“The process is continuing and following its natural course. China and the US are two strategic partners for Chile, tremendously important, and of course we will work to maintain the best possible relations with both,” De Grange added.

The minister said no permit has yet been granted to China Mobile as part of the concession process. “We are in the process of gathering information; a number of questions have been raised, which are normal questions raised with all companies seeking a concession,” he said.

Asked whether the government feels constrained by the US regarding the possibility of connecting Chile with China, De Grange said: “No, of course not. Relations with the United States, including with Ambassador Judd himself, are very good, and the same is true with the Chinese.”