| Title | : | China and Cybersecurity: Espionage, Strategy, and Politics in the Digital Domain |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0190201274 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780190201272 |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 400 |
| Publication | : | First published March 2, 2015 |
Western political discourse on cybersecurity is dominated by news of Chinese military development of cyberwarfare capabilities and cyber exploitation against foreign governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations. Western accounts, however, tell only one side of the story. Chinese leaders are also concerned with cyber insecurity, and Chinese authors frequently note that China is also a victim of foreign cyber -- attacks -- predominantly from the United States.
China and Cybersecurity: Espionage, Strategy, and Politics in the Digital Domain is a comprehensive analysis of China's cyberspace threats and policies. The contributors -- Chinese specialists in cyber dynamics, experts on China, and experts on the use of information technology between China and the West -- address cyberspace threats and policies, emphasizing the vantage points of China and the U.S. on cyber exploitation and the possibilities for more positive coordination with the West. The volume's multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural approach does not pretend to offer wholesale resolutions. Contributors take different stances on how problems may be analyzed and reduced, and aim to inform the international audience of how China's political, economic, and security systems shape cyber activities. The compilation provides empirical and evaluative depth on the deepening dependence on shared global information infrastructure and the growing willingness to exploit it for political or
economic gain.
China and Cybersecurity: Espionage, Strategy, and Politics in the Digital Domain Reviews
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It's slightly dated now, considering that so much has happened in cyberspace since it was written. But a testament to its academic quality is the fact that it clearly foresaw many of the cyber policy problems that we are encountering in 2022. There is no latest alternative to this book which provides the same level of empirical insight since the great reorganisation led by Xi Jinping occurred in 2014.
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(Full Disclosure: One of the editors of this book was one of my professors in graduate school and another taught at my graduate school, though I never took a class with him. My copy was also signed by my professor. Having said that, the views expressed in this review are my own and do not reflect those of the editors, authors, or publisher.)
As the internet and the data that people, companies, and governments store on it becomes more important in our daily lives and the international economy, issues of cybersecurity will grow more important. At the same time, China's continued economic rise, in spite of this year's apparent slow down, and its continued impact on cyberspace will be a cause for concern among policymakers. This timely book brings together researchers and policymakers from both the West and China to explore both issues at this key juncture in both the development of the internet and U.S.-China relations. Like all collections of essays, this book is a mixed bag of both fascinating and boring essays, though more essays were interesting than boring. Of particular interest were chapters 2, 7, and 8, which dealt with Chinese intelligence agencies in cyberspace, and the People's Liberation Army's cyber warfare structure, China's cyber militia structure. Chapter 3 gave me key insights into how it may be very difficult for China to integrate stolen technology into their own designs due to lingual, cultural, and technological barriers. And Chapter 11 also gave great insight into how China has used the internet to suppress human rights advances, or "Foreign Hostile Forces" within its borders and beyond. The concluding chapter of this book, written by two of its editors, also does a great job summarizing everything for those who may have missed something. Many of the chapters also indicate how the U.S. abuses of cyberspace, revealed by Edward Snowden, have currently damaged any meaningful advances in bilateral cooperation on major cybersecurity issues between the U.S. and China. Students, scholars, and policymakers will appreciate many of these key insights and I would recommend this book to any one of these groups who study either one of the title issues or both. General readers though may have a hard time slogging their way through this book as it was written for an academic and policy-oriented audience. For the average reader, I would recommend either
@War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex or
Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know first before tackling this one. -
Book begins with the exciting, interesting and well written part. After that, it is starting to be much more specific with the topics - not very simple to read, if you do not have the basic knowledge. Recommend it to the readers who are familiar with the social/political/etc subjects.
