China’s international presence and its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have taken a pronounced digital turn. With the introduction in 2015 of the Digital Silk Road (DSR) as part of the BRI, the focus of China’s overseas activities shifted from transport infrastructure and trade networks towards expediting the global expansion of Chinese technologies. This ranges from telecommunications networks and smart cities to e-commerce and finishing China’s new satellite system. Complementing the domestic economic development strategy Made in China 2025, which set out to establish China as a global leader in various high-tech fields, Beijing published its Internet Plus policy in...

China’s bid to modernise and reform its domestic manufacturing sector is highlighted in the Made in China 2025 strategy (MiC2025), which was issued in 2015. This unprecedented industrial policy aims to transform the Chinese economy from a labour-intensive, low-end manufacturing-focused model to a technology-intensive and innovation-driven knowledge economy, thereby positioning Chinese companies at the forefront of global innovation. By refocusing global attention on Beijing’s attempts to obtain global technological leadership, MiC2025 became a key trigger of the dramatic turn in the US–China relationship from generally cooperative to conflictual.

The BRI has since 2013 embodied the Chinese government’s aim to...

Undertaken by Chinese tech-giants such as Huawei and ZTE, Chinese companies are now leaders in building digital infrastructure worldwide. This includes telecommunications (5G) networks and submarine cables, smart cities, satellite systems and cloud computing. In terms of the global market share of 5G telecommunications equipment, as of 2018, Huawei is the world leader at 28 per cent, while ZTE ranks fourth at 10 per cent (with Europe’s Nokia and Ericsson in between, at 16 and 14 per cent, respectively). Chinese companies also lead in the number of 5G patents, wherein Huawei alone has 3,325 declared patents, compared to 2,038 for...

In 2015, the Chinese government launched its Internet Plus policy, which is interconnected with Made in China 2025. This policy sets out to integrate the internet with traditional industries, thereby furthering (cross-border) e-commerce and internet banking as engines for economic growth. The DSR opened new markets for these companies, with Chinese e-commerce companies offering cheaper alternatives to goods and services than their European and American competitors. Five years on, China’s platform economy — spearheaded by Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (the ‘BAT’) — is one of the country’s key economic pillars and its companies are among the largest in the world....

China’s shifting focus towards digital infrastructure investments — coupled with the export of equipment and technologies by Chinese companies — is also changing the country’s engagement with international standards. Beijing is moving from being a rule-taker to a rule-maker on standardisation, articulating how new technologies should be commercialised worldwide, and making use of the leadership position of Chinese companies in next-generation technologies and in the global market.

In the coming decades, digital data will drive the economy forward. Companies’ success depends increasingly on access to data and effective analytics skills. This raises difficult questions about the collection, storage and transfer...

Armed with a digital strategy and a European approach to AI and robotics, the EU is now trying to catch up with the leaders of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: China and the United States. Yet the EU overlooks the fact that it has to participate in order to write the rules of the game. In other words, Europe cannot win if it only plays defensively, meaning that European companies need to be real global players.

Moving forward, the DSR will have serious implications for Europe, both within EU borders and in multilateral institutions and in third countries. First of all,...

The Digital Silk Road adds an extra dimension to China’s Belt and Road Initiative and puts China’s aspirations to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution on full display. Building on the success of its domestic industrial strategy, China made significant steps to further the implementation and use of Chinese technologies in BRI countries. This has set the stage for China to further its own standards as the Fourth Industrial Revolution unfolds. On infrastructure, the 5G hardware and software of Chinese digital giant Huawei has been at the centre of the discussion. Beyond this, China is pushing its agenda in the field...