Abstract
The Global Diffusion of China’s Public Security Technology
Sheena Greitens, University of MissouriRecent media coverage has highlighted the global diffusion of Chinese public security technology, especially high-tech surveillance and social management platforms. Where is this technology being exported to, and why? This project provides descriptive data and uses it to examine possible drivers. These include crime rates and political instability in recipient countries, the fiscal and organizational capacity of recipient states, the importance of recipient countries to China’s geopolitical strategy, and the argument that China is seeking to “make the world safe for autocracy” by facilitating surveillance and global authoritarianism. The paper concludes by discussing implications of these developments for U.S. foreign policy, both in U.S.-China relations and toward third countries.
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