PacNet #21 - The Digital Silk Road and Chinese Techno-Nationalism in Maldives

Over BY JOSHUA BOWES a decade ago, when the BRI was announced, a subsidiary of Huawei signed an agreement Joshua Bowes (joshuabowes1@gmail.com) is a with the Maldives to build technological Research Associate at The Millennium Project’s South infrastructure in the archipelago, under the Asia Foresight Network (www.southasiaforesight.org) namesake of the “SMART Maldives” project. [...] The Digital Silk Road (DSR), stop at a Malé port, raising concerns about a flagship project of the BRI, epitomizes China’s potential future use of the Maldives as Beijing's aim to direct the enhancement of a waypoint for conducting intelligence- global connectivity, led by Chinese gathering missions in the region. [...] The Maldives waters near India, Sri Lanka, as well as the is an integral part of the DSR; the islands’ Maldives. [...] the DSR namesake, Chinese companies are financing and investing in the development of China’s buildup of technological power across Indo-Pacific information and communications the Indo-Pacific region underscores the pace technology (ICT), which consists of various at which Beijing is participating in a global forms of physical infrastructure. [...] Competing been involved in the laying of undersea and with the United States and hoping to supplant fiber optic cables, as well as the provision of Western influence, China seeks to dominate as artificial intelligence and facial recognition much of the worldwide ICT market as technology.