A Marriage of Consequence ?
Russia, while showcasing a rhetorical convergence with China in the fields of cyber-sovereignty and cybersecurity, aims at cementing its relationship with China beyond traditional areas of cooperation, undertaking the securitization of cyberspace as well as displaying power shift away from the West. The global level is essential in order to grasp the respective convergences and divergences of China and Russia in relation to the United States, which remain preeminent in cyberspace. Considered both as a domain and an instrument in the service of objectives, cyberspace nevertheless reveals, beyond the narrowness of the bilateral cooperation, a growing asymmetry between the two countries, driven by divergent approaches to the evolution of the international system, and by specific economic factors. This asymmetry, unfavorable to Russia, does not prevent this country from deepening its cyber cooperation with China.