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Geopolitics in the Cyberspace: A New Perspective on U.S.-China Relations

Published:2018-06-14 Published:2018-06-14   Author:Cai Cuihong   [Small] [Middle] [Big] [More]

Cyberspace is now becoming a big stage for a new round of geopolitical competition, and the geopolitics of cyberspace has emerged as a useful analytical perspective. Cyberspace is being geopoliticized due to the geographic attributes of cyberspace architecture, major actors, and the growing power of sovereign states in the cyberspace. There are six aspects in terms of the logic of geopolitics of cyberspace in the U.S.-China relations: the geopolitical thinking behind cyber security discourse and policy, the overlap between man-made cyberspace boundaries and geopolitical space, the concept of cyberspace sovereignty echoing traditional theories of geopolitics, the similarity of power struggle in the cyberspace to geopolitical competition, the militarization trend of cyberspace increasing risks of geopolitical conflicts, and the gradual integration of cyberspace issues into traditional geopolitical structure. The U.S.-led geopoliticization trend of cyberspace is detrimental to global cyber security, and China should work together with other countries to jointly move beyond geopolitics and build a “Community of Shared Future in Cyberspace.”

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