How does the Chinese government use digital technology to sustain its political legitimacy? This paper seeks to offer new insight into the ways by which the Chinese state adapts to and utilizes...Show moreHow does the Chinese government use digital technology to sustain its political legitimacy? This paper seeks to offer new insight into the ways by which the Chinese state adapts to and utilizes technological advancements to their own advantage. At first, this paper provides an introduction of prominent existing literature on the relationship between Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and authoritarian regimes. The overarching motivation for this exploratory paper is that previous studies do not provide for a comprehensive enough overview of the use of ICT by the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). As such, the findings of this paper largely moves away from the well-documented ways in the literature on “repression technology” in China. This paper argues that the Chinese government has successfully aligned its interests with private technological corporations within the country, thus giving it a new avenue to e-governance and maintaining political legitimacy. The most prominent example that will be discussed is the use of digital technology for poverty alleviation purposes. Finally, the paper sheds light on the false dichotomy of “liberation technology” versus “repression technology”, arguing that the case of China does not fall into either category.Show less
