The Pivot in Chinese Cybergovernance

Abstract

China p erspe ct ives S peci al feature The Pivot in Chinese Cybergovernance I nte grat i ng In t er ne t C on tro l in X i Jinp in g's Chin a ROG IE R C RE E ME RS ABSTRACT: During the first two years of the Xi administration, a series of successive measures were taken to restructure the way that the Chinese Internet is governed. New institutions were created to centralise governance over a sphere that had hitherto been fragmented, while the pursuit of ideological and technological security led to greater efforts to control the circulation of online information and prevent harm, particularly originating from foreign threats. This paper analyses this process, and discusses implications for the future of the Chinese and global Internet.

China's “Wolf Warrior Diplomacy”: The Interaction of Formal Diplomacy and Cyber-Nationalism

“…Publics taking the initiative to organise and conduct "crusades" of their own volition, not awaiting or seeking permission and guidance from official actors is a feature of cyber-nationalism. This does not imply a loosening of controls: The state has centralised and increased the sophistication of its management of online public opinion through a combination of propaganda, censorship, and techno-legal frameworks (Creemers, 2015). In part, the intensification and expansion of the cyber-governance architecture in recent years is driven by the threat of "rogue" popular nationalism and the challenge it represents to the conduct of foreign policy.…”