China has been actively reshaping the regional power structure in the Indo-Pacific. Evidence includes island building and militarization in the South China Sea, daily incursions of government and other Chinese vessels into Japan's contiguous zones and intrusions into territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands, and the promotion of ambitious mega-infrastructure initiatives such as the "Belt and Road" initiative to transform the region.
Equally important to this broader strategic objective is the forming of asymmetric economic relations with all of China’s neighbors, including Japan. This economic asymmetry provides Beijing enormous leverage in shaping the behavior of states that implement foreign policy that Beijing deems harmful through economic coercion.
The adoption of ChinaNet also is indicative of an effort to dominate the region and its partners as it bifurcates cyberspace into a China-controlled closed digital space and an open digital space.