"Digital silk road" as a slogan instead of a grand strategy/ Jing Cheng and Jinghan Zeng

The rise of the Digital Silk Road has shifted the focus of China's Belt and Road Initiative. It is a result of domestic economic and political struggles. Chinese domestic actors have interpreted the slogan of the Digital Silk Road in their preferred ways to advance their own agenda, rather than pursuing a unified geopolitical objective. This article also shows that Chinese domestic actors have (un)consciously interpreted the slogan of the Digital Silk Road in their preferred ways to advance their own agenda. Beyond nationwide support to echo the slogan, there is neither a coherent understanding nor a nationally concerted effort to advance a singular geopolitical objective, if there is any. Consequently, company-level interests and agendas, rather than a top-down geopolitical masterplan, have dominated the development of the Digital Silk Road.

DIGITAL SILK ROAD, ONE BELT AND ONE ROAD INITIATIVE, COMPANY-LEVEL INTEREST AND AGENDAS, NEWARTICLS