The adoption of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan in March 2021 further solidified the dominant role of innovation, emerging technology, and advanced manufacturing in Beijing’s development strategy, as well as highlighted the government’s intention to accelerate the building of a digital economy, society, and government. The plan details China’s desire to use data and digital technology to upgrade traditional industries, develop smart cities, and create a “future of shared destiny” in cyberspace.1 These elements represent pieces of Beijing’s broader digital and innovation strategy that seeks to leapfrog China to become a global technology leader and position the country as a dominant player in shaping and controlling the world’s digital future. Chinese leaders see accomplishing this as a key means to continuing China’s rise and achieving the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” 

The strategies used to carry out China’s digital ambitions and grow its digital influence are multifaceted and carry significant global repercussions. This Asia Policy roundtable seeks to identify these objectives and shed light on their consequences. The following essays analyze the policies China is using to achieve these goals; examine the consequences for the United States, like-minded powers, and others caught in the middle; and offer policy recommendations for both national governments and international rule-setting bodies to mitigate the challenges associated with China’s digital rise. 

In the roundtable’s opening essay Emily de La Bruyère outlines China’s digital grand strategy, emphasizing both the vastness of its scope and its centrality in China’s long-term strategic objectives. Through the analysis of speeches by Chinese president Xi Jinping, official policy documents, and Chinese-language journal articles, La Bruyère emphasizes the significance of China’s digital rise, concluding that the government “sees the IT revolution as an opportunity to claim leadership over the world order.” To capitalize on this opportunity, Beijing is pursuing a “network great power” (wangluo qiangguo) strategy that extends beyond the virtual domain to achieve real-world impact.