Paper short abstract:

China – its state and multinationals – has a new and fast-growing digital influence on economies, societies, infrastructure and politics of the global South. The panel analyses: Chinese strategies and policies, implementations and impacts; and competition and comparisons with Western nations.

Paper long abstract:

China – through actions of its state and its digital multinationals – has a new and fast-growing digital influence on economies, societies, infrastructure and politics of the global South. Prior work in development has focused on China’s expansion in resource- and labour-intensive sectors, but rapid growth in digital means that research is pushing to keep up with the potentially disruptive effect of this new digital superpower.

The panel welcomes papers on any aspect of this topic area – policies, strategies, implementations, impacts – with analyses that could include but are not limited to:

- Infrastructure: “Digital Silk Road” components of the Belt and Road Initiative

- Economy: growing presence of Chinese digital firms in key economic sectors of global South nations; the impact of digital trade with China; the role of China’s digital currency

- Society: growth of Chinese social media platforms and apps

- Politics: export of China’s surveillance and public security technologies; issues of data sovereignty

- Standards: China’s role in development and promotion of new digital standards

- Geopolitics: implications of multi-polar global digital leadership including comparative analysis of China’s digital strategies and role and impacts compared to those of Western nations

- Actors and Processes: the relationship between various arms of China’s party-state, its digital firms and other actors in driving forward digital expansion; mechanisms of trade and investment; rationale behind strategic digital actions