The History of Chinese Cybersecurity: Current Effects on Chinese Society Economy, and Foreign Relations

Chinese cybersecurity has become an infamous topic in the field of cybersecurity today, causing a great deal of controversy. The controversy stems from whether or not censorship is hindering Chinese economy, society, and relationships with other countries. The White Papers (中国政府白皮书), the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (中华人民共和国宪法), and The Internet in China (中国互联网状况) all suggest that there is a free flow of Internet both within and without China that promotes peaceful socioeconomic development which the Chinese government seeks to promote. But is China sacrificing lucrative business prospects to secure their country? From whom is China securing its people, and is filtering the Internet truly the cure to insecurity? International Security Studies (ISS) has examined the issue of what is actually being secured, the nation state or its people. More recent schools of thought have asserted that Human Security, which is also concerned with the welfare of the people of the state, is relevant to China’s current security questions. China is reacting to its recent economic slowdown by reasserting its dominance over news outlets and increasing censorship of the Internet, which is in direct contradiction to its National Defense and Military Strategy policy. The policy dictates informationization and modernization through the use of the Internet and technology, but to control the free-flow of Internet is to limit economic and social development. This paper explores the above documents, other comparable countries’ cybersecurity policies, censorship policies throughout China’s recent history, news reports, International Relations Theory (IRT), and ISS to see if this is so