Cyber Policy in China

Greg Austin has produced a much needed, comprehensive examination of China s evolving approach to the increasingly important cyber world. Austin focuses on Chinese cyber policies and views in three critical areas: domestic politics, economics, and national security. He concludes that while China is well positioned to become a major advanced information society, it will fail to reap the benefits of such a development if it remains locked in its current ethical dead end . This is an essential read for anyone interested in the impact of China s rise on a key global issue. Michael D. Swaine, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC In this book, Greg Austin offers a convincing analysis of the dilemma China is facing: this country has ambitions to become an advanced information society, but while developing its own version of e-government, the Communist Party remains keen to monitor and control the internet tightly. In the Chinese cyberspace, security overrides information. Under such conditions can China continue to rise? Cyber Policy in China will convince you that the country may not unless it introduces dramatic political changes. Jean-Pierre Cabestan, Hong Kong Baptist University "A must read. This book takes us through a detailed and engaging journey into the realm of cyber policy in China." LSE Review of Books "Greg Austin s Cyber Policy in China provides an informed perspective on the experience of arguably the world s most empowered state in both harnessing the potential of, but also controlling, the hugely disruptive changes that cyberspace brings, providing an explanation through recent Chinese history and its current policy direction."STRIFE "Greg Austin s well-written and informative book succeeds in providing a systematic account of cyber policy in China that should be relatively easy to understand even for people without much background knowledge about the country s internal politics, economy, and international relations." National Communication Association Greg Austin has produced a much needed, comprehensive examination of China s evolving approach to the increasingly important cyber world. Austin focuses on Chinese cyber policies and views in three critical areas: domestic politics, economics, and national security. He concludes that while China is well positioned to become a major advanced information society, it will fail to reap the benefits of such a development if it remains locked in its current ethical dead end . This is an essential read for anyone interested in the impact of China s rise on a key global issue. Michael D. Swaine, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC In this book, Greg Austin offers a convincing analysis of the dilemma China is facing: this country has ambitions to become an advanced information society, but while developing its own version of e-government, the Communist Party remains keen to monitor and control the internet tightly. In the Chinese cyberspace, security overrides information. Under such conditions can China continue to rise? Cyber Policy in China will convince you that the country may not unless it introduces dramatic political changes. Jean-Pierre Cabestan, Hong Kong Baptist University "A must read. This book takes us through a detailed and engaging journey into the realm of cyber policy in China." LSE Review of Books "Greg Austin s Cyber Policy in China provides an informed perspective on the experience of arguably the world s most empowered state in both harnessing the potential of, but also controlling, the hugely disruptive changes that cyberspace brings, providing an explanation through recent Chinese history and its current policy direction."STRIFE "Greg Austin s well-written and informative book succeeds in providing a systematic account of cyber policy in China that should be relatively easy to understand even for people without much backgr

Greg Austin is leader of the Policy Innovation Unit at the East-West Institute and the author of several highly regarded books on international security.

Preface Acknowledgments 1. China s Cyber Ambition 2. Legacy Values 3. eDemocracy, iDictatorship 4. Innovative Information Society 5. Security in the Global Infosphere 6. The Road Ahead