Cyber security in the asia-pacific

The development and implementation of domestic cyber security strategies has become a top priority for many Asia-Pacific nations. Cyber security threats present a particularly complex challenge for the Asia-Pacific region due to pre-existing geopolitical rivalries, as well as the political, economic, and socio-cultural diversity that characterises this region. This chapter reviews cyber security policy initiatives by regional institutions in the Asia-Pacific with a view to considering how regional cyber security efforts are hampered by interaction with the traditional security challenges that confront many states in the region. It reveals that while regional institutions, particularly ASEAN and APEC, have made concerted efforts to galvanize regional states into collective action against malicious cyber activities, the strategic and tactical advantages gained from the exploitation of cyberspace amplifies existing geopolitical tensions in the Asia-Pacific.