The Digital Silk Road (DSR) is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) that encompasses infrastructure projects, trade and financial agreements, and cultural and defence cooperation with over 140 countries worldwide. Bringing the digital component into the BRI seamlessly advanced Beijing’s ambition of taking a leadership position in the technology sector.
The DSR not only speaks across regions but also goes beyond the technology infrastructure, which raises two critical concerns by giving China leverage to advance the digital authoritarian governance model and jeopardizing data privacy. To mitigate these risks and reduce reliance on China, the EU must find alternatives by collaborating with trusted partners and diversifying supply chains. First, the EU can expand its technological landscape and engage nations in the Global South and the Indo-Pacific. Second, it must develop and enforce regulatory mechanisms to prevent Chinese state agencies from misusing sensitive data.
Download and read: China’s Digital Silk Road: Outlines and Implications for Europe (PDF)
This publication is part of the project „On Sinicization of technology, creation of critical dependence, cyber threats originating from Asia, and possibilities for cyber cooperation.” The partner of the project is the Asian Studies department at the Tallinn University’s School of Humanities. The project is supported by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.