From the Digital Silk Road to the governance of cyberspace: China’s norm diffusion strategy in Central Asia

Over the past decade, China has emerged as a cyber power with potential to reshape cyber governance regionally and globally. Unlike the private sector-led multi-stakeholder approach promoted by the West, China has called for a multilateral approach to cyber governance, with an emphasis on greater government involvement and a leading role for the UN in building consensus on cyber norms. The overarching aim of this study is to elucidate the underlying mechanisms behind China’s cyber norm diffusion strategy in Central Asia within the wider context of the global cyber regime complex. The study is divided into four analytical sections. Following the introduction, Section 2 proposes a conceptual framework for the study of China’s cyber norm diffusion strategy that combines insights from constructivist research on norm diffusion, policy transfer research and Transition Studies. Section 3 discusses four clusters of norms that inform and guide China’s approach to cyber governance at the national and global level. Section 4 explores the normative dimension of the Digital Silk Road. The investigation takes the form of a case study, setting out to assess the trajectory of Uzbekistan’s digital transformation and China’s smart city technology transfers to the country. Section 5 examines China’s efforts to promote its cyber norms via regional organizations and initiatives, paying particular attention to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s cyber governance agenda. The purpose of the conclusion is to assess China’s endeavors to transform the liberal international order by promoting counter-norms and developing competing institutions in the realm of cybersecurity.