China & Technical Global Internet Governance: from Norm-Taker to Norm-Maker?
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China & Technical Global Internet Governance: From Norm-Taker to Norm-Maker? by Tristan Galloway L.L.B(Hons)/B.A.(Hons) Deakin University Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Deakin University July, 2015 Acknowledgements My sincere thanks to Prof Baogang He, my principal supervisor, for his excellent advice and tireless support, without which the completion of this dissertation would have been impossible. I would also like to express my thanks to my associate supervisors, Prof Wanlei Zhou and Dr Xiangshu Fang, for their advice and support, and to other staff at Deakin University that have provided me with feedback, including but not limited to Dr Chengxin Pan and Dr David Hundt. I am grateful for the further feedback or insight received on elements of my dissertation by numerous academics at academic conferences, seminars and through academic journal peer review processes. I thank the staff and reviewers at China: An International Journal, for their feedback and advice on the joint article submitted by Prof Baogang He and myself that was published in late 2014; while the content and research of the dissertation’s chapters 7 & 8 are primarily attributable to the author, their quality has been improved by this feedback and through collaboration between myself and Prof Baogang He. Elements of the research in these two chapters, and elements of the dissertation’s arguments related to its theoretical perspective, have also been informed by the author’s Honours thesis, submitted to Deakin University in 2010. A professional editing service, The Expert Editor, provided copyediting and proofreading services for the dissertation, according to the guidelines laid out in the university-endorsed national ‘Guidelines for Editing Research Theses’. All remaining grammatical and stylistic errors are attributable to the author. I am grateful to Deakin University and the Australian Government for the doctoral candidature and scholarship extended to me, and to Deakin University for the additional financial support that enabled me to conduct research in Beijing, China, attend a number of international academic conferences, and observe the conduct of internet governance first-hand at the APrIGF 2013 in Seoul, South Korea and at the IGF 2013 in Bali, Indonesia. I am deeply thankful for the support and advice given to me by my friends and family. Thanks in particular to my parents, Louise and Stuart, and my sister Hannah for their support, and especially to my partner Taia who has been a constant source of encouragement. iv China & Technical Global Internet Governance: From Norm-Taker to Norm-Maker? Abstract This dissertation analyses Chinese engagement with the core norms regulating technical global internet governance, namely those related to: US government authority, privatized governance, multi-stakeholder governance, and state actors’ authority. It seeks to determine if China has been a norm-maker or norm-taker towards these norms, and whether it wants to – or can – reshape internet governance. To answer these questions, a qualitative analysis of historical and contemporary Chinese state and non-state actor engagement with core internet governance norms in domestic Chinese internet governance and across key global and regional internet governance organizations is conducted. The roles China has adopted towards these norms are analysed across their lifecycles and described using the dissertation’s own synthesized framework of four potential roles: norm- entrepreneur, norm-taker, norm-maker and norm-supporter. Explanations of Chinese, and other actors’, behaviour within internet governance, and predictions about future behaviour, are guided by a rationalist, multi-causal theoretical perspective loosely based on liberal international relations theory. The dissertation argues that China has largely been a norm-taker at the global level of internet governance, but more of a norm-maker at the regional and domestic levels. It has also attempted to establish a norm of greater government authority within internet governance. The roles China has adopted suggests that it does want to change some aspects of the current internet governance regime, seeking to remove US government authority and limit non-state actor authority over the technical internet but is otherwise satisfied with the multi-stakeholder character of internet governance and the authority of non-state actors below the global level. China is nevertheless unable to implement the changes that it wishes to make, because other states and non-state actors do not share its interests sufficiently, and because China does not have the material power or ideational appeal necessary to impose its preferences in this area. v Table of Contents List of Abbreviations, Figures, Tables & Appendices vii 1. Introduction 1 2. Literature Review 9 a. English Literature 9 b. Chinese Literature 12 3. Methodology & Methods 15 a. A Multi-Causal Theoretical Perspective 15 b. The Dynamics of Global Governance Norms 18 c. State Roles Towards Global Governance Norms 23 d. Methods 29 4. The Technical Internet, Its History & Governance 34 a. Internet Governance 34 b. The Technical Internet 35 c. A Brief History of the Technical Internet 37 & Its Governance d. The Technical Internet Governance Regime 41 5. Core Technical Internet Governance Norms 52 a. The US Authority Norm 52 b. The Privatized Governance Norm 55 c. The Multi-Stakeholder Governance Norm 59 d. The State Authority Norm 62 6. Domestic Chinese Internet Governance 64 a. China’s Early Engagement with 64 the Technical Internet b. The Chinese Government’s Role 65 in Domestic Governance c. Chinese Administrative Organizations 69 d. Chinese Policy Organizations 71 7. Chinese Engagement with Administrative Organizations 73 a. The IETF & Internet Standards 73 b. ICANN & IPS/DNS Governance 79 8. Chinese Engagement with Policy Organizations 97 a. The WSIS 97 b. The IGF 104 c. The UN, The ITU & NETMundial 111 9. China & The US Authority Norm 114 10. China & The Privatized Governance Norm 122 11. China & The Multi-Stakeholder Governance Norm 134 12. China & The State Authority Norm 140 13. Conclusion 146 Appendices 1 – 6 (see below, page 8) 156 Reference List 236 vi List of Abbreviations, Figures & Appendices a. List of Abbreviations ALAC – At-Large Advisory Committee ALS – At-Large Structures APEC – Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation APIA – Asia-Pacific Internet Association APNIC – Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre APRALO – Asia-Pacific Regional At-Large Organization APrIGF – Asia-Pacific Regional Internet Governance Forum APT – Asia-Pacific Telecommunity APTLD – Asia-Pacific Top-Level Domain Association AS – Autonomous System ASO – Address Supporting Organization CAS – Chinese Academy of Sciences CASS – Chinese Academy of Social Sciences CAST – China Association for Science and Technology CATR – China Academy of Telecommunications Research of MIIT CCP – Chinese Communist Party ccNSO – Country-Code Name Supporting Organization ccTLD – Country-Code Top-Level Domain CDNC – Chinese Domain Name Consortium CERNET – China Education and Research Network CNNIC – China Network Information Center CONAC – China Organizational Name Administration Center DNS – Domain Name System ECOSOC – Economic and Social Council GAC – Governmental Advisory Committee GNSO – Generic Name Supporting Organization gTLD – Generic Top-level Domain IAB – Internet Architecture Board IAHC – International Ad-Hoc Committee IANA – Internet Assigned Numbers Authority IATLD – International Association of Top-Level Domains ICANN – Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers IDN – Internationalized Domain Name IGF – Internet Governance Forum IESG – Internet Engineering Steering Group IETF – Internet Engineering Task Force IP – Internet Protocol IPS – Internet Protocol System IPv6 – Internet Protocol Version Six IRTF – Internet Research Task Force ISC – Internet Society of China ISOC – Internet Society ISP – Internet Service Provider ITR – International Telecommunications Regulations ITU – International Telecommunications Union LIR – Local Internet Registry vii MAG – Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group MIIT – Ministry of Industry & Information Technology MINC – Multilingual Internet Names Consortium NIC – Network Information Centre NIR – National Internet Registry NRO – Number Resource Organization NTIA – National Telecommunications and Information Administration RALO – Regional At-Large Organization RFC – Request For Comments RIR – Regional Internet Registry RSSAC – Root Server System Advisory Committee SSAC – Security and Stability Advisory Committee TCP/IP – Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol TLG – Technical Liaison Group UN – United Nations UNCSTD – United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development UNGA – United Nations General Assembly US – United States WCIT – World Conference on International Telecommunications WGIG – Working Group on Internet Governance WSIS – World Summit on the Information Society b. List of Figures Figure 1: The Norm Life Cycle Model Pg. 21 Figure 2: The Norm Lifecycle Model Pg. 23 & Theoretical Drivers of Change Figure 3: The Norm Lifecycle Model Pg. 27 & State Roles Towards Norms Figure 4: Technical Internet Architecture & Operation Pg. 37 Figure 5: ICANN’s Organizational Structure Pg. 46 Figure 6: Total Chinese Attendance Pg. 74 at IETF Meetings 1986 – 2014 Figure 7: Chinese Attendance at IETF Meetings Pg. 74 by Stakeholder Group 1994 – 2014 Figure 8: Comparison of Country Contributions Pg. 75