U.S.–China Digital Diplomacy and Global Security: An Assessment of Emerging Cybersecurity and Strategic Competition, 2010–2022

Abstract

This study examines U.S.–China digital diplomacy and its implications for global security between 2010 and 2025, with particular attention to the intersection of cybersecurity, technological competition, diplomatic engagement, and the changing structure of international power. The study situates the growing digital rivalry between the United States and China within broader transformations in global politics, where cyberspace, artificial intelligence, 5G networks, semiconductor technologies, digital infrastructure, and data governance have become important instruments of state power. Drawing on the realist, liberal institutionalist, and constructivist perspectives, the study analyses the competing interests, institutional constraints, identities, norms, and perceptions that have shaped U.S.–China digital relations. From a realist perspective, cyberspace constitutes an arena of strategic competition in which both powers seek technological advantages, cybersecurity capabilities, and influence over emerging digital infrastructures. The liberal institutional approach highlights the limitations and possibilities of international cooperation in establishing rules and mechanisms for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. The constructivist perspective, meanwhile, demonstrates how competing national identities, threat perceptions, technological narratives, and interpretations of appropriate cyber behaviour influence bilateral relations. The study further examines the implications of digital rivalry for the global security architecture, including strategic stability, international norms, technological governance, and the prospects for cooperation. It argues that although U.S.–China digital competition has intensified geopolitical tensions, sustained diplomatic engagement, confidence-building measures, institutional dialogue, and mutually accepted norms remain important avenues for reducing miscalculation and promoting strategic stability in cyberspace.