Journey to the East: Digital Sovereignty in China’s East Asian Relations Through the Lens of Techno-Nationalism. The Mobile Telecommunications Case-Study

European literature on digital sovereignty has a strong focus on the European Union (EU) and global powers, namely the United States (US), Russia, and China. However, several middle-size powers play a key role in technological development amid the rise of sovereigntist stances. In East Asia, it is particularly the case of South Korea, a middle-size power with powerful industrial actors in strategic technological sectors. For example, Samsung is a leading company in 5G standardisation, other than a chipmaker at a time of global shortage. Alongside South Korea, Japan plays a peculiar role in the region: once a key actor in telecommunications, with such companies as NTT Docomo contributing to international standards, it is now facing a steady industrial decline in this sector. Both Japan and South Korea represent China’s closest competitors in East Asia: both positioned within the scope of US alliances, the two countries’ industries shift periodically between competition and collaboration with Chinese actors, much as the two countries’ foreign policies shift between competition and cohabitation with China. By observing digital sovereignty through the lens of techno-nationalism as displayed in the mobile telecommunications sector, this chapter explores the dialectic between the nation-bound concept of sovereignty and the transnational characteristics of digital technology.