The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is actively shaping global trade standards, particularly in data control and customs clearance, favoring Chinese platforms that offer end-to-end visibility into global shipping. This system, lacking a Western equivalent, creates data asymmetry, enabling PRC actors to identify supply chain chokepoints, exploit critical resource dependencies, and circumvent tariffs, sanctions, and export controls.
Chinese trade platforms like Cainiao Network Technology, Alibaba’s logistics branch, and the state-supported LOGINK, gain international power through bilateral adoption agreements and multilateral institutions such as the World Customs Organization. The Alibaba-led electronic world trade platform initiative (eWTP) also sets international standards, embedding Chinese platforms and norms into global trade infrastructure. This ecosystem, coupled with the PRC’s global ports and transport infrastructure, provides Beijing with a powerful tool for monitoring global trade, with Chinese authorities able to access this data by law. The expansion, driven by central policy since the 2008–2009 global financial crisis, aims to enhance the PRC’s "international discourse power in transportation" and fuse security and development into a strategic advantage.
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