The People’s Republic of China (PRC) builds and exports digital infrastructure as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. The country sells technology deals as “win-wins” with partners, but the agreements also serve Beijing’s geopolitical interests. That makes it imperative for US and European leaders to understand the PRC’s technological footprint and evaluate its global economic and security implications.
This panel discussion will delve into how the PRC is shaping digital futures worldwide, particularly in Europe and its extended neighborhood. Panelists will explore policy responses and strategic options for US and European policymakers. GMF Technology will deepen the conversation by sharing findings from five new country case studies—Germany and Serbia in Europe; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan in Central Asia—that use a “tech stack” framework to map the PRC’s influence over and associated risks across five layers: network infrastructure, data infrastructure, devices, applications, and governance. These case studies build on GMF’s past research that exposes the PRC’s technological footprint in five countries in the “Global South”.
