US-China Confrontation in Cyber Security

Abstract

This study presents the research results of the activities of the United States and China as the major global competitors in the field of cybersecurity. We have established the nature and trends of the confrontation, explored the goals and means of cyber influences in the confrontation between two states in this area, and identified directions for the development of the competition between the United States and China in the field of cybersecurity. Today, the United States and China are the world leaders in cyberspace and the information (cyber) security sector. The United States remains the undisputed world leader in cybersecurity, but China is rapidly closing the gap, relying on the strong potential of human and economic resources in cyberspace. From the beginning of the second decade of the XXI century. countries have been accusing each other of cyberattacks for economic purposes and cyber espionage. The United States has pointed to the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) leading role in organizing cyberattacks, and China has made similar allegations against the US intelligence. Despite attempts to reconcile policies in this area, tensions between the United States and China over cyber-building are growing. And since the beginning of the 2020s, politically motivated influences on information systems have become the target of cyberattacks. The United States notes a change in China's cyberattack strategy from regular cyber espionage to prosecuting political and security goals. Additionally, systematic control over the sources of cyber threats has been transferred from the PLA to the security structures of China. China also accuses the United States of using cyber influences to increase world hegemony and using cyber threats in the arms race. Beijing makes these statements from the standpoint of its own “multipolar” world strategy, which is threatened by the activities of the Joe Biden administration, aimed at consolidating Western countries in the face of cyber threats from China. The field of cybersecurity in US-China relations is becoming increasingly important in terms of the security strategies of these two world leaders. Each of them uses cyber tools as a tool of cyber influence, as well as a tool for strategic communication at the level of relations with strategic partners. Therefore, these issues will become increasingly important in terms of research interests, in particular the implementation of foreign policy interests in relations with these countries.