Discourse and Norms along China’s Digital Silk Road

The DSR, a component of the Belt and Road Initiative, is portrayed in official discourse not just as a means of technological connectivity but as a vehicle for promoting China’s vision of cyber sovereignty and digital governance in contrast with Western models. An examination of a wide range of Chinese texts reveals that while the DSR may facilitate digital authoritarianism, it also serves China’s broader geopolitical ambitions by fostering dependence on Chinese technology among countries in the global South. This finding underscores the importance of understanding the DSR’s normative content to grasp China’s influence on global technology standards and the international order.