The PRC is exporting an integrated system of smart devices, data infrastructure, and governance standards. Through industrial policy, state-backed overproduction, and strategic data asymmetry, Beijing is building a global IoT architecture designed to embed PRC standards, influence, and governance into the connected environments of other countries.
By dominating core components like cellular IoT modules and steering global standards through initiatives like China Standards 2035, Beijing is creating long-term supply chain dependencies and rewriting the rules of digital interoperability.
Devices manufactured by PRC firms often carry embedded risks: unpatched vulnerabilities, mandated government access under China’s Data Security Law, and use in cyber operations like Volt Typhoon and LapDogs.
Expansion into emerging markets is fueled by Digital Silk Road diplomacy, subsidized financing, and turnkey infrastructure deals—seen in Huawei’s smart city platforms and Haier’s bundled appliance systems deployed across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Looking ahead, the global spread of China’s IoT platforms signals a deeper push to shape the foundations of digital infrastructure—where influence over connected devices gradually extends to norms, data flows, and governance models.
Smart Device Empire: Beijing’s Expansion Through Everyday Digital Infrastructure – Jamestown
