IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/indqtr/v79y2023i3p336-355.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

China’s Techno-Politics: The Impact on Belt and Road Partners

Author

Listed:
  • Raj Shekhar Mehta

    (Raj Shekhar Mehta is an Air Veteran and Director of Strategic Studies at Indus International Research Foundation, New Delhi. He has researched BRI intensely as a Scholar in Amity University and his area of specialisation is Indo-Pacific, IOR and South Asia. He is a prolific writer and speaker on strategic matters.)

Abstract

The impact of China’s Digital Silk Road (DSR) on countries signing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a less explored area. This article argues that the repercussions of unregulated propagation of DSR on BRI countries are likely to go beyond economy and commerce because of the vastly different approach of China’s use of technology in its own governance. Since this aspect is inadequately covered in existing literature, an attempt is made to fill the gap. When external entities are allowed to setup large-scale digital networks, e-governance and e-commerce in technologically deficient countries of the Global South, the host country loses control over its digital data that such networks generate. Overdependence on technology of one nation can lead to a data monopoly with a potential impact on the entire polity. To what extent this hypothesis holds substance is the issue deliberated on in this article using inductive reasoning and qualitative methods.

Suggested Citation

  • Raj Shekhar Mehta, 2023. "China’s Techno-Politics: The Impact on Belt and Road Partners," India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, , vol. 79(3), pages 336-355, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:indqtr:v:79:y:2023:i:3:p:336-355
    DOI: 10.1177/09749284231183321
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09749284231183321
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/09749284231183321?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:indqtr:v:79:y:2023:i:3:p:336-355. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.