Digital Empire? Extraterritorial application of the Digital Services Act and specific challenges for non-EU companies – taking Chinese companies as example

Abstract The article gives an overview of the purposes and principal requirements of the Digital Services Act and how they function specifically towards non-EU companies, using Chinese companies as a prominent example. It discusses to which extent the Digital Services Act is part of the regulatory project by which the EU, whether purposefully or not, projects power beyond its borders, and argues that at least with regard to economically powerful countries such as China, this effect has likely been somewhat overstated. The article points out that nevertheless, non-EU and specifically Chinese companies face additional challenges when trying to comply with the Digital Services Act, and provides orientation in this regard.