Politics and the art of compromise

Abstract

Political compromises are essential to any form of government, but they are particularly central in coalitions, where different parties have to balance each others’ priorities. While a willingness to compromise was once seen as a welcome sign of political maturity, many voters now see it as selling out for the sake of power, an issue Dr Mariken van der Velden is exploring in her research.

The digital rise and its economic implications for China through the Digital Silk Road under the Belt and Road Initiative

“…Ali Genie was launched in 2017, allowing leverage to Alibaba's services like voice recognition (Jia et al, 2018). China aims to build an AI sector worth RMB 150 billion (€19 billion) (Slotta, 2021) and plans to raise the value of the core AI business of China to more than RMB 400 billion (€51 billion) by 2025 (van der Lugt et al, 2022). China has outlined goals to emerge as a global AI superpower by 2030, intending to create an industry worth RMB 1 trillion (US$147.7 billion) (Kharpal, 2017).…”

“…Therefore, developing internet infrastructure under DSR-related initiatives is an appealing option for such countries (Adee, 2019). In addition, China is extensively engaged in global cyber-governance to redefine organizational rules and enhance its dominance (van der Lugt et al, 2022) because it considers that its concept of cyberspace governance can broaden its authority across the globe (Mochinaga, 2021). Thus, China views its participation in the global standard-setting as a mutually advantageous (win-win) opportunity to achieve a shared vision in cyberspace (Doshi et al, 2021).…”

“…Digital technology has come to be regarded as a magic bullet by China to resolve long-standing policy issues which for decades hampered the CCP, as well as an accelerant of growth in the economy (van der Lugt et al, 2022), which during the last three decades has developed to emerge as a global player. China's digital economy grew enormously in 2019 to worth US$1.5 trillion and 25% of all online retail transactions, which were more than double the volume of the US e-commerce share (Farhat, 2021).…”

“…Recently, the internet has become an indispensable means of digital technology to transfigure new-fangled social realities, for which global infrastructure development has gained strategic significance for states to enhance their geopolitical and geo-economic influence (Hong, 2018). Digital technologies have become a critical pillar concerning the political and military superiority of Beijing which is identified as an instrument to raise China's international stature (van der Lugt et al, 2022). With the emergent competition, the possibility of a bifurcation in the worldwide information and security ecosystems of technology among the US-allied liberal democratic states and China-based information and communication technology (ICT)-dependent countries also grows (Nouwens, 2021).…”

“…The dependency and synchronization with the digital technology, software, and services of China by more and more nations will increase the influence of Beijing worldwide (Ghiasy and Krishnamurthy, 2020). From the Chinese perspective, the time has come for China to establish rules, norms, standards, and laws that protect and promote Beijing's security and interests on account of which it can also leverage the political and economic concessions from technologically (over-)dependent third world countries (van der Lugt et al, 2022).…”