The Spatial Expansion of China’s Digital Sovereignty: Extraterritoriality and Geopolitics

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

While China’s approach of re-territorializing the cyberspace is well known, this chapter argues that there is an emerging tendency of China expanding its regulatory power beyond territorial borders, which indicates a more spatially expansive notion of China’s digital sovereignty. This chapter examines this shift from territoriality to extraterritoriality in the conception and practice of China’s digital sovereignty by focusing on three recent regulatory initiatives, that is, the Personal Information Protection Law, the Data Security Law, and the order by the Ministry of Commerce on blocking unjustified extraterritorial application of foreign legislation and measures. From these initiatives, the chapter identifies two main approaches of broadening the spatial dimension of China’s digital sovereignty and argues that they reflect how the notion of digital sovereignty is developed to incorporate China’s changing geostrategic interests. This adaptation of China’s digital sovereignty can be compared to practices of the EU and the US to observe both contrasting trends and important regulatory emulations. The trend toward extraterritoriality, while conditioned by multiple internal and external factors, is likely to face important conceptual and practical challenges.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationDigital Sovereignty in the BRICS Countries
Subtitle of host publicationHow the Global South and Emerging Power Alliances Are Reshaping Digital Governance
EditorsMin Jiang, Luca Belli
Place of PublicationCambridge, UK
PublisherCambridge University Press
Chapter3
Pages63-80
ISBN (Electronic)9781009531085
ISBN (Print)9781009531139
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Spatial Expansion of China’s Digital Sovereignty: Extraterritoriality and Geopolitics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this