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Chinese Cybersecurity Policies in the Age of Cyber Sovereignty

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Quo Vadis, Sovereignty?

Part of the book series: Philosophical Studies Series ((PSSP,volume 154))

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Abstract

China’s cybersecurity policies constitute an important component of global cybersecurity discussions in our current geopolitical environment. China’s rise against America’s relative decline has not only presented China and its Internet as an alternative to the U.S. model of economic and technological development, but has also fueled the great power rivalry between China and the U.S. especially in trade and technology. The US-China conflict is also taking place at a time when waves of populism are sweeping through the world prompting countries to assert sovereignty at home and abroad. As Internet economies and cyber policymaking increasingly gravitate towards the three main models set by the US, China and EU, Chinese cybersecurity policies remain central to global cyber policy debates and research. In the following, the chapter outlines the current Chinese cybersecurity policies, focusing specifically on cyber defense, cybercrime, and public order with the recognition that cybersecurity is a multi-faceted concept and phenomenon of great relevance and importance to China as it strives to become a cyber superpower.

This chapter is developed in large part based on prior work by the author “Cybersecurity Policies in China” that appeared as a chapter in CyberBRICS: Cybersecurity Regulations in the BRICS Countries edited by Dr. Belli and published by Springer (see Jiang 2020a).

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Notes

  1. 1.

    “Important data,” according to a draft of the Data Security Administrative Measures of the PRC under consideration, refers to “the data that might directly affect national security, economic security, social stability and public health and security in case of disclosure, such as non-public government information, population data covering a large area, gene health data, geographic data and mining data.” In practice, authorities have discretion in interpreting what important data is.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Communication Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Min Jiang

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  1. Min Jiang
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Correspondence to Min Jiang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Legal Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Marina Timoteo

  2. Department of Legal Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Barbara Verri

  3. Digital Commons Lab, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento, Italy

    Riccardo Nanni

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Jiang, M. (2023). Chinese Cybersecurity Policies in the Age of Cyber Sovereignty. In: Timoteo, M., Verri, B., Nanni, R. (eds) Quo Vadis, Sovereignty? . Philosophical Studies Series, vol 154. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41566-1_5

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