China's data regulation between domestic policy and external projection

Abstract

The centralization of power in the hands of Xi Jinping within the Chinese political system, made even more evident by the XX Congress, is accompanied by a similar process regarding the control and management of data in China. Indeed, recent Chinese data regulation laws seem to follow this trajectory, representing a breaking point in the relationship between big tech companies and the Chinese Communist Party. From the point of view of internal politics, being able to maintain the high competitiveness of Chinese technological companies without allowing them to form agglomerations of power outside the Party-State represents a priority challenge for Beijing. As far as the international context is concerned, however, it is appropriate to ask whether these laws can be traced back to a more prudential approach, typical of Chinese foreign policy until the advent of Xi Jinping, or to a matrix characterized by greater assertiveness and the ability to change the rules of the game for other actors as well. Considering this, through an analysis of the new data regulation laws, the article aims to provide a better perspective to understand the possible consequences of these laws on the internal power relations of the Chinese system and the repercussions in the international system.