The project “China: technology and society” is part of a large global initiative of systematic and permanent research on China’s influence in strategic sectors in different countries, aiming to translate the concept of influence as something that can be measured and compared quantitatively. Thus, the central objective of the project is to capture and measure, year by year, the expansion of China’s influence over some strategic domains, or sectors, which involve, among others, the military, society, technology, economics, and domestic and international politics, of the countries studied. Starting in March 2021, this major project is led by regional partners who took over the research in five countries. Data Privacy Brasil Research Association, one of the regional partners, was responsible for coordinating the work with local experts from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay.
The methodology applied was based on the response to a standardized questionnaire, applied to each country, with indicators of the influence of the People’s Republic of China in the selected domains. The capture of the responses to the indicators took place through documentary research, a review of recent literature on the subject, and interviews with experts. In this sense, although some indicators cover qualitative issues, all responses were defined in a standardized way to quantitatively measure China’s influence on each of the questions raised, thus forming the purpose of this project to build an international indicator referenced by experts of each of the countries.
Thus, the main product of this project is the continuous construction of an interactive world map, in which it will be possible to comparatively observe China’s influence, as well as its expansion, per country, year, and/or domain. Therefore, showing itself as an important tool for civil society, academics, and policymakers on the phenomenon.
