China’s Normative Power in Cyberspace: The Contested Making of Global Digital Governance - Maria Adele Carrai

The book delves into China's strategic extension of its influence over global digital standards and governance.

The author introduces the concept of normative power adapted for the digital domain, and constructs a multi-level theory of normative diffusion, disaggregating mechanisms operating at bilateral, regional, and international levels. The book examines bilateral dynamics through eight cases: Vietnam, Chile, Malaysia, Zambia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, and Laos. At the regional level, it analyses how China navigates and shapes regional digital orders through the SCO, RCEP, BRICS, and ASEAN. Regarding the international arena, the book traces China's strategies across two decades of engagement with the UN system and the ITU. In addition, it outlines its implications for digital governance and the future of global internet ordering. The book argues that Chinese normative power in cyberspace is real but bounded, and it operates not as unilateral export but as a relational push-and-pull between Beijing and recipient states that actively seek, filter, adapt, and resist what China offers.

This book will appeal to academics and students studying international law, comparative politics, cybersecurity, and China studies.