Jonathan E. Hillman is a Senior Advisor to the US Secretary of State, where he works in the Office of Policy Planning. He was formerly a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. He has also served as a policy advisor to the US Trade Representative, testified before Congress, briefed Fortune 500 executives, and his commentary has been published in the Washington Post, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.
In his book The Digital Silk Road, Hillman takes us through the journey of how China’s influence has gone far beyond roads, ports, and railways. Instead of focusing solely on physical infrastructure, the author shows how Beijing is building the digital backbone of the 21st century through laying undersea fibre-optic cables, research in 5G networks, data centres, and satellite systems.
Hillman begins by explaining how China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), often seen as a traditional infrastructure programme, has expanded into the digital realm. He explains the global dynamics of the digital world and how China is slowly taking over the world’s information highways that help in shaping rules of commerce, security, and communication.
One of the strengths of the book is in how it connects technology to geopolitics. The author states that the fight between Democracy and Socialism took a completely different turn. While former US President Ronald Reagan looked at the creation of internet as a beacon of hope for expressing freedom, it took a while for China to understand how they can use information technology to their advantage. In other words, where Westerners saw a new world with bloggers as freedom fighters and politicians stated that providing Chinese citizens internet will be the downfall for socialism, China took a very different approach.
Hillman explains how Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE, which were considered as copycats or small companies, have now become dominant ones in the world of digital infrastructure by laying proper infrastructure and conducting fundamental research.
The author argues that the Digital Silk Road is not just about faster internet speeds but about influence, surveillance, and dependency. Countries adopting Chinese technology may gain affordable connectivity, but they also risk falling into long-term reliance that compromises sovereignty and cybersecurity.
Companies like AT&T, which was a leading global company for telecommunication, started losing business when European and American private as well as government sector started relying on Huawei or ZTE.
The book leans toward a Western perspective, highlighting risks over opportunities. While the author provides strong evidence of China’s ambitions, readers may find that he underplays the fact that many developing nations actively choose Chinese tech because it is affordable, reliable, and available, when Western alternatives are not.
Overall, the narrative of the book shows us that the US and China have somewhat opposite strategies when it comes to information warfare. The United States and most of the European countries allow users complete access over the internet with some monitoring. The US’ strength lies in their cyber defence mechanisms for critical infrastructure (something they improved in recent times), and its capabilities in countering disinformation, and conducting offensive cyber operations.
For China, psychological warfare, media warfare and legal warfare have been key elements of its strategic toolkit. They prioritise control over domestic information—through tools like the Great Firewall, censorship, and state propaganda—while at the same time projecting its influence abroad through digital infrastructure and information campaigns. The monitoring authorities have always kept internet access to a limit. However, there have also been many brave citizens who have spoken up or blogged about freedom of speech over the internet, or even corruption at the highest levels in the government.
In modern times, digital sovereignty is a very serious and important topic. Just as physical borders require protection, digital borders also need vigilant monitoring. This, when the 21st century has given rise to a new kind of war: Cyber War. However, here, even the author cannot definitively state whether the US and China are in a new Cold War, a tech war, or an actual war.
Hillman’s analysis sheds light on the complex interplay between telecommunication infrastructure and geopolitical influence. It’s not just about laying cables; it’s about controlling the flow of information, ensuring cybersecurity, and setting global standards. These technologies, once invisible to most, are becoming the critical enablers of a nation’s strategic interests in the digital age, much like control over natural resources and traditional trade routes shaped global power in earlier times.
In conclusion, The Digital Silk Road is a well-researched and highly relevant book. It is not overly technical, making it easy for general readers; yet, it offers enough depth to engage anyone interested in science, technology, and international relations.
Harshal Chavan is an IT & Network Admin at PIC.