March 16, 2018
China’s Quest for Political Control and Military Supremacy in the Cyber Domain
The People’s Republic of China seeks to contest information dominance (制信息权) and discursive dominance (话语权) in cyberspace. For the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), cybersecurity is integral to comprehensive state security (国家安全). That’s distinct from ‘national’ security in that it focuses on preserving stability and legitimacy to ensure the regime’s survival. Xi Jinping has said that ‘without cybersecurity, there is no state security’.
In this concept of cybersecurity, information security and control take priority. Indeed, for the CCP, threats to cyber sovereignty (网络主权) are seen as existential in nature. For that reason, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is actively building its capabilities to engage in ‘military struggle’ (军事斗争) in the cyber domain.
The CCP has long believed itself to be engaged in an ideological contest in cyberspace. It has sought to counter foreign ‘hostile forces’ (敌对势力) through censorship and propaganda. It blames those influences for popular protests that have overthrown authoritarian governments, as in the Arab Spring.
Read the full op-ed on Real Clear Defense.
More from CNAS
-
Video
Technology & National Security
The U.S.-Iran Stalemate Explained: How Drones and AI Are Changing WarBetween cheap-to-produce drones and artificial intelligence, the future of warfare may already be here. Paul Scharre, former US Army Ranger and executive vice president of the...
By Paul Scharre
-
Commentary
Technology & National Security
Mr. Xi Goes to Washington: An Opportunity for U.S.-China AI AssuranceArtificial intelligence is advancing too rapidly, and its ramifications too consequential, for either country to believe that competition alone is a strategy....
By Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan
-
CNAS Insights
Technology & National Security
CNAS Insights | U.S.-China AI Agreements Need Verification, Not TrustThe upcoming Trump-Xi summit is likely to disappoint the leaders of top AI labs that have recently called for urgent, coordinated pacing of frontier AI progress. While agreeme...
By Ruby Scanlon & Janet Egan
-
Podcast
Technology & National Security
U.S. & China AI Competition Raises Questions About Risk and OversightThe United States and China are moving quickly to develop increasingly powerful artificial intelligence systems, and Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan (Ret.), former director of the Pent...
By Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan
