Since 2009-2010, the West viewed China as more assertive. Especially after Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, the country abandoned Deng Xiaoping’s ‘low profile’ foreign policy. Friso Stevens explains in his dissertation where this change has come from. The dissertation defence is on 28 March.

Digital politics in China are frequently analysed through the lens of ‘hard’ issues related to power, policy, and collective action. And yet, Digital China is also full of playful activities. If we are to understand what politics emerge out of Chinese digital networks, we’d be well advised to take the…