Whither (de)globalisation? Internet fragmentation, authoritarianism, and the future of the Liberal International Order: evidence from China

Abstract

The control China holds on domestic online information has raised suspicions around Internet fragmentation. As global interconnectivity is a tenet of the 21st-century Liberal International Order in its free-market facet, the Internet fragmentation debate lies at the core of the deglobalisation question. This article is based on two seemingly contrasting pieces of evidence: first, China is limiting and controlling both data and information flows domestically through regulatory and technological means. Second, China is however not establishing a separate Internet based on incompatible protocols, which would be essential for fully-fledged Internet fragmentation to take place. On the contrary, China promotes the participation of its domestic companies in global Internet governance. This article examines why these two trends cohabit in China’s policy and their consequences for the debate on deglobalisation and the future of the Liberal International Order in its global free-market facet. This article demonstrates that China does not need a fully separate domestic network to guarantee societal control, and can implement strong domestic regulations while incentivising domestic companies to participate in the governance of the global Internet according to pre-existing norms. Globalisation, at least in its free-market characterisation, can therefore coexist with rising authoritarian powers.