Recording: The Evolution of Chinese Cyber Statecraft

Overview

RUSI hosted its the seventh event in the ‘Cyber Statecraft in an Era of Systemic Competition’ event series.

China’s cyber power is growing. On 7 May at a speech at the UK government’s flagship cyber security conference, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, warned that China is "becoming a cyber superpower". In doing so, he added to a growing chorus of statements from ministers and senior officials that have all emphasised that Chinese cyber operations are growing in scale and aggression. This shift has been epitomised by the rise of the so-called ‘Typhoons’ –  Chinese cyber threat actors linked to the Ministry of State Security and People’s Liberation Army which have allegedly compromised swathes of critical national infrastructure in the US and elsewhere.

To better understand the evolution of Chinese cyber statecraft, RUSI convened a panel of leading experts. The Panellists discussed:

• The historical context of Chinese cyber statecraft and its transformation over the past two decades.
• The extent to which the cyber threat from China has materially changed considering recent disclosures on Salt and Volt Typhoon.
• The role of non-state actors, including commercial companies and cybercriminals, in the development of Chinese cyber power.
• International responses to Chinese cyber operations and the implications for UK statecraft.

The Cyber Statecraft event series is funded by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), in partnership with the Research Institute for Sociotechnical Cyber Security (RISCS).

Speakers:

• Ciaran Martin, Professor of Practice, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.
• Eugenio Benincasa, Senior Researcher, Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich.
• Louise Marie Hurel, Research Fellow, Cyber and Tech, RUSI.

Moderator: Conrad Prince, RUSI Distinguished Fellow