The US-China Digital Innovation Competition and Power Transition: Chinas Digital Innovation and Similarity in UN Voting

Abstract

Given the expansion of Chinas power, its willingness for a power transition has become the most significant concern in international relations. Although technology is a key driving force in the power transition, previous literature has ignored its importance. This study analyzes United Nations (UN) voting data to examine whether Chinas rapid improvement in digital technologies influence its enthusiasm to challenge against the U.S. Essentially, Chinas desire to challenge the US would be reflected through a pattern of voting in the UN that is similar to countries despised by the U.S., such as authoritarian, rogue, US sanctioned countries, and those with whom the US has an antagonistic relationship. In this regard, empirical analyses demonstrate that the relatively enhancement of Chinas digital technological capability decreases the similarity of its UN voting record with authoritarian, rogue, US sanctioned countries, and states with whom the US has antagonistic relations. Furthermore, the enhancement of these technological capabilities increases the similarity of its voting record with that of the US.