China’s Digital Governance

Mahnoor Kaleem

Now, artificial intelligence is the new currency for development, for geopolitics, for world dominance. China is the world’s second-largest digital economy. China is trying to increase its influence by revolutionizing its cyber technology. The question still exists whether China is trying to gain control in the technological sector or just providing a digital aid to developing states. China’s mobile payments for transactions reached $790 billion in 2016.

China’s Digital Silk Road extends its technological and geopolitical reach across Asia, Africa, and beyond.

China is also leading in facial recognition software. Chinese companies are leading in 5G software. President Xi Jinping wants China to become a cyber-giant through innovation. Cloud Walk and the Zimbabwean government are training Chinese facial recognition software to recognize faces with dark skin. Ethiopia is utilizing Chinese technology to track phone calls and human activity.

Digital Silk Road (DSR) was started in 2017 as a major component of the Belt and Road Initiative. The DSR project involves various areas of cooperation like telecommunications networks, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, e-commerce and mobile payment systems, surveillance technology, smart cities, and other high-tech areas.  Chinese President Xi Jinping wants China to govern globally in the digital economy, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, and quantum computing.

The stance of developing countries is anti-West and prefers Chinese technology. China invested $8.43 billion in Angola, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Zambia under the Digital Silk Road initiative. China has signed MOUs with Egypt, Turkey, Bangladesh, Laos, South Korea, Kazakhstan, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Poland, Hungary, Estonia, England, Cuba, Peru, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia as part of the Digital Silk Road Initiative. Huawei is installing Latin America’s largest Wi-Fi network in Mexico.

Huawei is deploying a 5G network in the UAE. The Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic Cable will become operational by 2026. The DSR fits the spectrum for advancing the Chinese version of global governance by generating demand for Chinese companies.

Developing nations benefit from Chinese digital infrastructure but face growing data security and sovereignty risks.

The Digital Silk Road Initiative and exporting surveillance technology are a major game-changer for developing states. Africa is using artificial surveillance technology for the first time, especially the use of surveillance cameras in the police department is increasing in Kenya.

China has been accused of espionage by collaborating with developing states. There is an allegation of diverting data from the African Union headquarters to Shanghai.  A Chinese company, Semptian, has reportedly provided a system named Aegis to monitor the communication of people.

This program was reportedly exported to authoritarian governments in the Middle East and North Africa to track the location information of the population. China’s experiment with Zimbabwe to train its facial recognition software is raising human rights concerns. Arthur Gwagwa believes China is using developing countries as an experimental tool to improve its surveillance technology.

Surveillance technology exports blur the line between digital development and strategic control.

Smart cities,5G towers, and surveillance systems are remarkable initiatives and can help developing states to meet their requirements. Developing states should take into account that their data safety should be prioritized while collaborating in such projects. Chinese companies are using developing states to compete against the West and improve their surveillance technology.

The author is currently pursuing a BS in International Relations at Lahore College for Women University.