Securing routers and network cables is basic stuff that we should be doing anyway (and probably are, at a classified level.) You don't need to balkanize the net

Securing routers and network cables is basic stuff that we should be doing anyway (and probably are, at a classified level.) You don't need to balkanize the net in order to do those things. Removing "Chinese apps" just means that different Candy Crush clones will be collecting that data, either directly or through their advertising networks. Or it means the Chinese companies who need to collect data will collect it through data breaches. The best thing you can say is that this puts a speed bump in front of attackers, but since speed bumps aren't a security measure the reality is that it won't do anything.