Experts: Internet regulation in Russia increasingly resembles the Chinese model

RKS Global researchers have assessed China’s influence on Russia within the framework of the China Index project, which is being conducted by Taiwan’s DoubleThink Lab analytical centre. According to the experts' conclusions, Russia is adopting Chinese practices in many areas, including the Internet and digital technologies, which threatens to strengthen control of the State in the areas of privacy, freedom of speech, media censorship etc. At the same time, China itself is becoming an obvious beneficiary of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed, having rather quickly increased exports of various goods (including technologically sophisticated ones) to Russia and taking all the vacant places on the market after the withdrawal of Western corporations.

The published study notes that the ideas of Runet sovereignty are already close to those of the Golden Shield, although it currently operates in a limited mode and only in relation to those resources that pose the greatest threat to the Kremlin. However, the numerous blockings and restrictions on VPN use are increasingly reminiscent of the Chinese model of regulation.

Interaction between Russian and Chinese officials in the field of social rating practices is also highlighted. In the autumn of 2024, it was announced that an ‘international party cooperation' platform would be established at the Russian State Social University to develop a social rating system similar to the Chinese one. The platform will be called the International Centre for Sustainable Development, and its goal will be to ‘unite supporters of a multipolar world' and preserve traditional values.

Russian-Chinese relations are officially defined by the parties as relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic co-operation. Its main principles and directions of development are reflected in the Treaty on Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the PRC of 16 July 2001. This treaty defined the basic principle of bilateral relations: China and Russia have always lived in friendship and will never be enemies.

After Russia was hit with sweeping economic and technological sanctions in 2022, Russian businesses and state corporations have become even more engaged with China. Chinese companies have increased exports to Russia, taking advantage of the withdrawal of many Western companies from the Russian market. Thus, at the end of 2022, trade turnover between the two countries increased by almost 30%, reaching a record $ 190.3bn. Chinese exports of goods to Russia increased by 12.8% to $ 76.1bn, while imports from Russia increased by 43.4% to $ 114.1bn.

In particular, China has significantly increased imports of Chinese mobile phones into Russia, which are now distributed with pre-installed Russian application shops (RuStores). Chinese manufacturers now occupy 75% of the mobile phone market, which is 25% more than a year earlier. Obviously, control over devices imported into the country with pre-installed and state-approved applications allows for greater control and censorship in the Russian Internet space.

As of 2024, Russia is in 33rd place in the ranking of technological dependence of countries on China after Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, the UK, France and other countries. This ranking assesses the influence of the PRC on the technology sector in the index country, including the activity and financial position of PRC companies, the use of PRC equipment and bilateral research partnerships.

The Global Technology Dependence Index examines whether Chinese suppliers of communications services, critical infrastructure equipment, Chinese navigation systems and smart city systems are operating in the country under study, how closely state and local government officials interact with China, etc. The Global Technology Dependence Index examines whether Chinese suppliers of communications services, critical infrastructure equipment, Chinese navigation systems and smart city systems are operating in the country under study.

Thus the rating shows that as of 2024 Russia has shown its dependence on communication services provided by Chinese companies (e.g., China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom and their subsidiaries), as well as on equipment suppliers for important infrastructure (e.g., airports, public transport, state IT networks, ports, etc.). It is noted that Russia has signed agreements with China on cooperation in the field of space, and also or publicly announced the signing of memoranda of understanding and cooperation in the field of technological development (e.g. in the field of artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, big data) with organisations associated with China. The fact of co-operation between the Russian and PRC authorities in the development of the BeiDou satellite navigation system was separately highlighted.

China has a significant influence on various countries around the world in many areas. China and the Russian Federation maintain close cooperation, particularly in the areas of the Internet, digitalisation and high technology. The two countries' approaches to fundamental issues of the modern world order and key international problems coincide or are close to each other. This means that the Russian Federation can adopt practices from China in the areas of citizen control, protection of personal information, freedom of expression, media censorship and other areas. It is important to realise how big this influence is already today.

The China Index is an initiative of Doublethink Lab (Doublethink), a civil society organisation (CSO) that investigates the pernicious effects of digital authoritarianism. Doublethink brings together a variety of research approaches in the social, behavioural and computational sciences to study state-sponsored propaganda campaigns, psychological warfare and related information operations.