"Connect First, then Suppress: Chinese vs. Western Communication Development Projects and Internet Freedom" - by CWP alum Lucie Lu

Over recent decades, developing countries have witnessed a rapid surge in internet connectivity, driven by an upswing in aid projects dedicated to information and communication technology (ICT) development. While many expect the increased internet connectivity to contribute to the freedom of expression and freer flow of information, others worry that it would rather enable recipient governments to expand their information control and digital surveillance. How do communication aid projects affect internet freedom in recipient countries? Through a cross-national analysis of aid and internet freedom in developing countries, our research reveals that the effect of communication aid on internet freedom varies by the sources of aid projects. Specifically, Chinese aid geared toward communication development has a negative relationship with internet freedom in recipient countries. Conversely, communication aid projects funded by the World Bank and the United States do not exhibit a similarly negative correlation. This paper also finds that the negative association between Chinese communication aid projects and internet freedom is more pronounced in autocratic recipient countries.

Yujeong Yang, Lucie Lu, Miles Williams & Xinle Jia  - Published: 30 May 2025 

Lucie Lu is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center on Contemporary China at Princeton University. I’m currently a Project Fellow at the Penn Project on the Future of US-China Relations, where I provide academically-informed, policy-relevant analysis on US-China relations. I received my Ph.D. in political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2023. I was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Columbia-Harvard China and the World Program at Columbia University in 2023-24 academic year.

Photo Credit: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12116-025-09471-5