Reframing China’s Territory and Sovereignty in Cyberspace: Exploring Conceptual Territorialization and Claims of Cyber Sovereignty

Abstract

The Chinese government has implemented a range of cyberspace management policies in recent years in an effort to claim what it refers to as its “cyber sovereignty.” Beijing bases this on its understanding of cyberspace as an additional geographical battlefield. This paper investigates how cyberspace may be regarded from this perspective and discusses how the Chinese government endeavors to manage its cyberspace and legitimizes this control through the adoption of cyber laws. The analysis shows that China’s sovereignty claims over cyberspace can be supported by four recognized factors of territorialization. These include authority, cyber culture, functional borders, and individuals. This study illustrates that these sovereignty claims can indeed be justified despite China’s current inability to completely explain them. The territorialization of cyberspace is a complex and evolving issue, however, and finding a way forward will require cooperation and understanding among all the stakeholders.