EU - China relations and data governance policies: the role of civil societies in overcoming geopolitical challenges in cyberspace

  • Cem Nalbantoğlu Wuhan University, China
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/ced.2555
Keywords: China, EU, data governance, geopolitics

Abstract

EU and China are the global powers that can affect and alter international relations at the political, economic, and societal levels. While the EU shapes the foreign policy in Europe, China has a critical role in Asian politics. In Asia-Europe interregionalism and interregional relations, the EU-China relations are essential in consolidating global and regional stability. However, in the current political conjuncture, the security issues in cyberspace challenge both actors. Hence, cybersecurity and digitalization policies are a potential conflict area in EU-China relations. As the impact of technological and digital developments increases on the global political economy, global powers are developing policies to breast the tape in technological development. The European Commission has set “A Europe fit for the digital age” as one of its priorities for the 2019-2024 term. Meanwhile, since 2015 China has been promoting the Digital Belt and Road Initiative to foster digital connectivity among the Belt and Road countries. However, big data analytics are important in developing new technologies, especially in digital connectivity, automation, and robotics. In this context, data governance has become a geopolitical concept in international relations. Consequently, differences between China’s and the EU’s approach to data – access, process, and collection – may result in geopolitical confrontations. In this paper, we argue that both actors should involve civil society in the policymaking process to address the dynamics of information technologies, cooperate on adapting a global approach and avoid geopolitical confrontations. Civil society organizations can help the actors understand the underlying risks in cybersecurity and form a non-conflicting approach in data governance frameworks. Furthermore, while investigating the EU and China’s data governance models, we shed light upon the role of civil society organizations in addressing the potential risks and opportunities in cyberspace. Finally, we conclude our paper with policy recommendations for China and the EU to cooperate in cyberspace by involving civil society organizations.

Received: 18 May 2022
Accepted: 25 July 2022

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Author Biography

Cem Nalbantoğlu, Wuhan University, China

Ph.D. student at Wuhan University, he obtained his master’s degree in International Relations at Zhejiang University and his bachelor’s degree at the Middle East Technical University’s Political Science and Public Administration department. During his studies, he has also undertaken various classes at the University of Duisburg and Essen (2013) in Germany, and Chongqing Posts and Telecommunications (2017) in China. In 2021 he was awarded a research stay at the University of Deusto under the Jean Monnet Network project “European Union-Asia Pacific Dialogue: promoting European Integration and mutual Knowledge across Continents” (EUNAP). He has several publications on Chinese foreign policy and international relations. His research interests include Chinese foreign policy, Belt and Road Initiative, EU-China relations, and geopolitics. He is fluent in Turkish, English, Spanish, and Chinese.

Published
2022-10-28
How to Cite
Nalbantoğlu, Cem. 2022. “EU - China Relations and Data Governance Policies: The Role of Civil Societies in Overcoming Geopolitical Challenges in Cyberspace”. Deusto Journal of European Studies, no. 05 (October), 51-73. https://doi.org/10.18543/ced.2555.
Issue
No. 05 (2022): SPECIAL ISSUE. European Union-Asia Pacific social and cultural dialogue: involving civil society in interregional relations
Section
Articles

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