This paper explores the role norms play in advancing U.S. interests in changing Chinese behavior in cyberspace. It compares and contrasts U.S. efforts to achieve two norms: (1) the U.N. Group of Governmental Experts’ consensus that international law applies in cyberspace; and (2) the U.S.-China understanding that neither State would pursue cyber-espionage for commercial advantages. In contrast to prior studies that focus only on the behavior a norm requires, this paper employs a broader, process-based analysis. That analysis offers a new framework for strategizing about the potential risks and rewards of pursuing different normative processes, whether in U.S. efforts to impact China’s behavior in cyberspace or vice-versa.
China and the US Strategic Construction of Cybernorms: The Process Is the Product by Hoover Institution on Scribd
