The Rise of Digital Sovereignty or Dependence? Rethinking State Sovereignty in Cyberspace through China’s Digital Silk Road

The rise of digital technology has opened up a new frontier for nations to exercise their sovereignty beyond traditional territorial control. This development raises a critical question regarding the evolving concept of the extent of state sovereignty in cyberspace. While existing scholarship focuses more on data governance, few attention is given to how foreign controlled digital infrastructure can reshape the practice of state sovereignty in cyberspace. In this context, China's Digital Silk Road Initiative positions foreign involvement as a central component in shaping national digital ecosystems. The objective of this paper is to examine whether participation in the program will reinforce or undermine the exercise of state's digital sovereignty. Furthermore, this paper explores what legal and policy measures should states adopt to protect their autonomy while engaging in foreign digital infrastructure initiatives. This paper employs a normative juridical approach using statute, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The statute approach will analyse international legal instruments and national regulation and infrastructure for cyberspace. The conceptual approach analyzes the correlation between sovereignty in cyberspace and digital dependency. The comparative approach contrasts different state practices in engaging with foreign digital infrastructure programs. All approaches will use documents, reports, and regulations published between 2015 and 2025. The findings indicate that participation in the program enhances digital capacity. However, it also creates structural dependencies that risk asymmetrical influence over the state sovereignty in its cyberspace. This paper contributes to the theoretical development of digital sovereignty and offers practical recommendations for maintaining authority in an increasingly interconnected cyberspace.