Cyber Policy in China

Few doubt that China wants to be a major economic and militarypower on the world stage. To achieve this ambitious goal, however,the PRC leadership knows that China must first become an advancedinformation-based society. But does China have what it takes to getthere? Are its leaders prepared to make the tough choices requiredto secure China's cyber future? Or is there a fundamentalmismatch between China's cyber ambitions and the policiespursued by the CCP until now?
This book offers the first comprehensive analysis of China'sinformation society. It explores the key practical challengesfacing Chinese politicians as they try to marry the development ofmodern information and communications technology with old ways ofgoverning their people and conducting international relations.Fundamental realities of the information age, not least itsglobalizing character, are forcing the pace of technological changein China and are not fully compatible with the old PRC ethics ofstability, national industrial strength and sovereignty. Whathappens to China in future decades will depend on the ethicalchoices its leaders are willing to make today. The stakes are high.But if China's ruling party does not adapt more aggressivelyto the defining realities of power and social organization in theinformation age, the 'China dream' looks unlikely tobecome a reality.