China and Cybersecurity: Espionage, Strategy, and Politics in the Digital Domain

China's emergence as a great power in the twenty-first century is strongly enabled by cyberspace. Leveraged information technology integrates Chinese firms into the global economy, modernizes infrastructure, and increases internet penetration which helps boost export-led growth. China's pursuit of "informatization " reconstructs industrial sectors and solidifies the transformation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army into a formidable regional power. Even as the government censors content online, China has one of the fastest growing internet populations and most of the technology is created and used by civilians. Western political discourse on cybersecurity is dominated by news of Chinese military development of cyberwarfare capabilities and cyber exploitation against foreign governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations. Western accounts, however, tell only one side of the story. Chinese leaders are also concerned with cyber insecurity, and Chinese authors frequently note that China is also a victim of foreign cyber--attacks--predominantly from the United States. China and Cybersecurity: Political, Economic, and Strategic Dimensions is a comprehensive analysis of China's cyberspace threats and policies. The contributors--Chinese specialists in cyber dynamics, experts on China, and experts on the use of information technology between China and the West--address cyberspace threats and policies, emphasizing the vantage points of China and the U.S. on cyber exploitation and the possibilities for more positive coordination with the West. The volume's multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural approach does not pretend to offer wholesale resolutions. Contributors take different stances on how problems may be analyzed and reduced, and aim to inform the international audience of how China's political, economic, and security systems shape cyber activities. The compilation provides empirical and evaluative depth on the deepening dependence on shared global information infrastructure and the growing willingness to exploit it for political or economic gain.

Introduction ; China and Cybersecurity: Controversy and Context ; Jon R. Lindsay ; I. ESPIONAGE AND CYBERCRIME ; 1. The Chinese Intelligence Services: Evolution and Empowerment in Cyberspace ; Nigel Inkster ; 2. From Exploitation to Innovation: Acquisition, Absorption, and Application ; Jon R. Lindsay and Tai Ming Cheung ; 3. Investigating the Chinese Online Underground Economy ; Zhuge Jianwei, Gu Lion, Duan Haixin, and Taylor Roberts ; II. MILITARY STRATEGY AND INSTITUTIONS ; 4. From Cyberwarfare to Cybersecurity in the Asia-Pacific and Beyond ; Ye Zheng ; 5. Chinese Writings on Cyber Warfare and Coercion ; Kevin Pollpeter ; 6. The Chinese People's Liberation Army Computer Network Operations Infrastructure ; Mark A. Stokes ; 7. Civil-Military Integration in Cybersecurity: A Study of Chinese Information Warfare Militias ; Robert Sheldon and Joe McReynolds ; III. NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY POLICY ; 8. China's Cybersecurity Situation and the Potential for International Cooperation ; Li Yuxiao and Xu Lu ; 9. Evolving Legal Frameworks for Protecting Internet Privacy in China ; Xu Jinghong ; 10. <"Foreign Hostile Forces> ": The Human Rights Dimension of China's Cyber Campaigns ; Sarah McKune ; IV. PRACTICAL AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS ; 11. China and Information Security Threats: Policy Responses in the United States ; Fred H. Cate ; Conclusion ; The Rise of China and the Future of Cybersecurity ; Jon R. Lindsay and Derek S. Reveron ; Index