The Future of Cybersecurity across the Asia-Pacific

Conventional security and warfare have been thoroughly mutated in the information age, and Asian nations are at the forefront of the technological developments that are driving these changes. China is investing heavily in technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G and exporting many of its technological products regionally and globally, while limiting the cyber capabilities of foreign countries and companies within its borders. In the recent presidential elections in the United States and Taiwan, coercive tactics involving cyberattacks and information warfare were prevalent. As a result, many countries have recognized the need for new cybersecurity measures to protect the integrity of the democratic electoral process. Securing digital markets and other interests is also a priority. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for example, held a cybersecurity summit in 2018, and Singapore launched the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence in October 2019 to conduct research and train personnel for responding to cybersecurity threats.This roundtable examines the cyber policies of the United States and its key adversaries and partners in Asia from a variety of perspectives, including their offensive and defensive cyber capabilities and the military applications of these tools. Adam Segal opens the roundtable by discussing China's cyber capabilities as well as its vulnerabilities. Though Beijing can be expected to escalate its cyberattacks over the next five years, Segal notes that "CCP leaders are likely cognizant that China is vulnerable to similar attacks." He argues that this equity between strength and weakness will limit China's use of cyberattacks to military targets for fear of retaliation. For now, China presents a threat and serious challenge in the Asia-Pacific region.