Chinese Industry 4.0

The author examines China’s cybersecurity regime from economic, political, and historical perspectives, providing valuable insights for every individual and organization affected by the peculiarities of the Chinese cyber ecology. He covers the latest developments in cybersecurity compliance and offers useful recommendations for high-tech companies operating in China. The impact of cyber-related rules and regulations on online users, businesses, and government institutions has grown in parallel with the increased commercial exploitation of big data, artificial intelligence, and the internet of things (IoT). Over the past decade, the rising prevalence of these and other emerging technologies has opened the gates to a new era of industrialization, widely referred to as Industry 4.0. In this unfolding era, China’s cybersecurity regime increasingly has become the central instrument to maintain state authority over political, economic, cultural, and technological activities within and beyond the borders of the People’s Republic. Therefore, the book’s findings are relevant to the entire global internet population.

Beyond interpreting cyber-related laws, administrative regulations, and standards, the author carefully analyzes the influence of China’s distinctive path to industrialization, unique cultural characteristics, and authoritarian one-party rule on domestic and worldwide cyber governance structures. He does not omit sensitive topics, such as self-censorship, the limitations of China’s Social Credit System, market-access restrictions, institutional wrangling, the structural imbalances in the Chinese economy, and the discrepancies between the Chinese and Western approaches to the rule of law.