The Role of Chinese Digital Platforms in Australia: Market, Politics, and Governance
中国数字平台在澳大利亚的作用：市场、政治和治理

APG5365 Digital Media and Governance
APG5365 数字媒体和治理

RuiLin Zhao 34638024
赵瑞林 34638024

Introduction
介绍

In the context of globalization and the rapid development of digital technologies, national digital platforms are crossing borders and influencing various markets, political policies and regulatory environments in other countries. These platforms influence the Australian market, political discourse, and regulatory landscape (Yu & Li, 2022). This article focuses on how these platforms affect the Australian economy, government management and laws and regulations. In addition to analyzing Yu & Li (2022) and other academic literature, this paper examines the tensions between Chinese and Western governance models and discusses the implications of data sovereignty and digital platform regulation for Australia.
在全球化和数字技术快速发展的背景下，国家数字平台正在跨越国界，影响着其他国家的各种市场、政治政策和监管环境。这些平台影响着澳大利亚市场、政治话语和监管环境（Yu & Li，2022）。本文重点介绍这些平台如何影响澳大利亚经济、政府管理和法律法规。 除了分析 Yu & Li （2022） 和其他学术文献外，本文还研究了中西方治理模式之间的紧张关系，并讨论了数据主权和数字平台监管对澳大利亚的影响。

The Role of Chinese Digital Platforms in Australia
中国数字平台在澳大利亚的作用

Economic Contributions
经济贡献

Chinese digital platforms provide significant economic value to Australia. WeChat facilitates cross-border e-commerce, supports businesses catering to Chinese consumers and serves as an important communication tool for the Chinese Australian community. Similarly, TikTok has become a major advertising and content sharing platform, contributing to Australia's digital economy (Yu & Li, 2022, p. 98). However, this also presents challenges for economic benefits, especially in terms of the market power and data control of digital platforms. For instance, concerns have been raised regarding TikTok’s data security, with Australian regulators debating potential restrictions due to fears of foreign data access and influence.
中国的数字平台为澳大利亚提供了巨大的经济价值。微信促进了跨境电子商务，支持迎合中国消费者的企业，并作为澳大利亚华人社区的重要沟通工具。同样，TikTok已成为一个主要的广告和内容分享平台，为澳大利亚的数字经济做出了贡献（Yu & Li，2022年，第98页）。然而，这也对经济效益提出了挑战，尤其是在数字平台的市场力量和数据控制方面。例如，人们对 TikTok 的数据安全提出了担忧，由于担心外国数据访问和影响，澳大利亚监管机构正在讨论潜在的限制。

Challenges in Governance and Regulation
治理和监管方面的挑战

Australia’s governance and regulatory oversight issues with Chinese digital platforms is the most serious. Unlike Western social media companies that work with liberal democratic regulations, WeChat and TikTok are subject to Chinese governance processes, which have generated policy conflicts with Australian regulators (Griffen-Foley & Turnbull, 2023). This friction between these two mechanisms of governance has resulted in debates surrounding content censorship, speech policing, and data security (Hafez & Grune, 2022).
澳大利亚对中国数字平台的治理和监管问题最为严重。与遵守自由民主法规的西方社交媒体公司不同，微信和TikTok受中国治理流程的约束，这已经与澳大利亚监管机构产生了政策冲突（Griffen-Foley & Turnbull，2023）。这两种治理机制之间的摩擦引发了围绕内容审查、言论监管和数据安全的辩论（Hafez & Grune，2022）。

Challenges in Chinese and Western Governance
中西治理的挑战

As Yu & Li (2022) have pointed out, there is naturally a decoupling between China and the West in the design of digital platform regulation. Digital landscape – like China which strictly abides by the laws on cybersecurity and data-related laws alongside Australia, which adopts strict data sovereignty and privacy protection measures. These divergences have resulted in regulatory clashes, especially in terms of adherence to Australian data protection legislation (Griffen-Foley & Turnbull, 2023, p. 67).
正如Yu & Li （2022）所指出的，在数字平台监管的设计中，中国和西方之间自然存在脱钩。数字环境 – 例如严格遵守网络安全法和数据相关法律的中国，以及采取严格的数据主权和隐私保护措施的澳大利亚。这些分歧导致了监管冲突，特别是在遵守澳大利亚数据保护立法方面（Griffen-Foley & Turnbull，2023年，第67页）。

The main difference between the two governance models lies in their regulatory priorities. China enforces strict state control over digital platforms, prioritizing national security and data sovereignty (Hafez & Grüne, 2022). Meanwhile, Australia’s regulations emphasize consumer privacy and open-market accountability, as reflected in the Privacy Act 1988 and Online Safety Act 2021.
这两种治理模型之间的主要区别在于它们的监管优先级。 中国对数字平台实施严格的国家控制，优先考虑国家安全和数据主权（Hafez & Grüne，2022）。与此同时，澳大利亚的法规强调消费者隐私和公开市场问责制，这反映在 1988 年隐私法和 2021 年在线安全法中。

For instance, former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s post on WeChat was reportedly removed, sparking debate on the role of Chinese digital platforms in shaping political discourse in Australia (ABC News, 2020). Similarly, a diplomatic dispute emerged in 2020 when Lijian Zhao, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, posted a digitally altered image critical of Australian soldiers, which drew strong backlash from the Australian government (Wikipedia, 2020). These incidents illustrate the ongoing tension surrounding Chinese digital platforms in Australia, particularly in terms of content regulation and political influence.
例如，据报道，澳大利亚前总理斯科特·莫里森 （Scott Morrison） 在微信上的帖子被删除，引发了关于中国数字平台在塑造澳大利亚政治话语中的作用的辩论（ABC 新闻，2020 年）。同样，2020 年出现了一场外交争端，当时中国外交部发言人赵立坚发布了一张批评澳大利亚士兵的数字修改图像，引起了澳大利亚政府的强烈反对（维基百科，2020 年）。这些事件表明，澳大利亚围绕中国数字平台的持续紧张局势，特别是在内容监管和政治影响力方面。

Real-World Case Studies
真实案例研究

TikTok’s Data Security Concerns
TikTok 的数据安全问题

The Australian government has launched an investigation into TikTok's data management practices, sparking major controversy. The platform has been accused of potentially sharing Australian user data with its parent company ByteDance, which is governed by China (Yu & Li, 2022, p. 102). This allegation has sparked discussion among users about whether TikTok should be banned or more tightly regulated, like actions taken by the US government (Hafez & Grune, 2022).
澳大利亚政府已对 TikTok 的数据管理做法展开调查，引发了重大争议。该平台被指控可能与其母公司字节跳动共享澳大利亚用户数据，字节跳动由中国管辖（Yu & Li，2022年，第102页）。这一指控引发了用户关于TikTok是否应该被禁止或更严格监管的讨论，就像美国政府采取的行动一样（Hafez & Grune），2022）。

In addition, policymakers and digital rights advocates have raised concerns about the potential impact of allowing foreign social media platforms to process large amounts of sensitive user data. Some critics argue that even if there is no direct evidence that TikTok shares data with the Chinese government, the government could still gain access to user data on the platform under China's cybersecurity law (Griffen-Foley & Turnbull, 2023). In response to these issues, Australian regulators have discussed imposing stricter compliance requirements on TikTok, including requiring data to be stored locally and making data processing more 
此外，政策制定者和数字权利倡导者对允许外国社交媒体平台处理大量敏感用户数据的潜在影响表示担忧。一些批评者认为，即使没有直接证据表明TikTok与中国政府共享数据，政府仍然可以根据中国的网络安全法获取平台上的用户数据（Griffen-Foley & Turnbull，2023）。为了应对这些问题，澳大利亚监管机构讨论了对 TikTok 实施更严格的合规要求，包括要求数据存储在本地和提高数据处理能力

WeChat’s Influence on Political Discourse
微信对政治话语的影响

WeChat is extensively used to discuss politics within the Chinese community in Australia. Yet the platform’s content moderation mechanism has drawn concerns about censorship and the potential for the Chinese government to influence Australian politics. The report also highlights how specific political speech pertaining to human rights and democracy is frequently censored on WeChat, reiterating concerns regarding work on the effect of the platform in the Australian political discourse (Griffen-Foley & Turnbull, 2023, p. 78).
微信被广泛用于讨论澳大利亚华人社区内的政治。然而，该平台的内容审核机制引起了人们对审查制度和中国政府可能影响澳大利亚政治的担忧。该报告还强调了与人权和民主相关的特定政治言论在微信上经常被审查，再次强调了对该平台在澳大利亚政治话语中的影响的担忧（Griffen-Foley & Turnbull，2023年，第78页）。

Furthermore, WeChat is not just a social media platform, but also an ecosystem that includes platforms for financial activities, news dissemination and social networking. This integration has increased its impact in the Chinese community in Australia as a major means of communication. Yet this high dependency also comes with a possible risk of self-censorship, as most users would probably avoid discussing sensitive political issues so as not to have their accounts banned or restricted. Some scholars argue, based on the model of information dissemination, that this phenomenon could result in the asymmetry of information access among the Chinese community in Australia, which means that the information that WeChat users have access tends to be more in line with the official Chinese media, less with the broader Australian media perspective (Yu & Li, 2022).
此外，微信不仅仅是一个社交媒体平台，还是一个生态系统，包括金融活动、新闻传播和社交网络平台。这种整合作为一种主要的交流方式，在澳大利亚的华人社区中增加了影响力。然而，这种高度依赖性也带来了自我审查的潜在风险，因为大多数用户可能会避免讨论敏感的政治问题，以免他们的帐户被禁止或限制。一些学者根据信息传播的模型认为，这种现象可能导致澳大利亚华人社区的信息获取不对称，这意味着微信用户能够获取的信息往往更符合中国官方媒体，而不是更广泛的澳大利亚媒体视角（Yu & Li， 2022 年）。

This discussion aligns with the broader themes of global media governance, particularly the challenge of balancing national security, data sovereignty, and digital trade. From the perspective of global media principles, Australia’s stance highlights the tension between market-driven digital ecosystems and state-controlled regulatory frameworks. Week 1 and Week 2 of the course emphasize how transnational digital platforms challenge traditional regulatory models, often requiring policymakers to negotiate between economic interests and national security concerns.
这一讨论与全球媒体治理的更广泛主题相一致，特别是平衡国家安全、数据主权和数字贸易的挑战。从全球媒体原则的角度来看，澳大利亚的立场凸显了市场驱动的数字生态系统与国家控制的监管框架之间的紧张关系。该课程的第 1 周和第 2 周强调跨国数字平台如何挑战传统的监管模式，通常要求政策制定者在经济利益和国家安全问题之间进行谈判。

Discussion and Implications
讨论和影响

The discussion about regulating Chinese digital platforms in Australia is not only about local law, but also about global digital sovereignty, governance and economic relations. As the role of digital platforms in global trade, social interaction and information dissemination grows, how to effectively regulate them becomes an important issue.
关于在澳大利亚监管中国数字平台的讨论不仅涉及当地法律，还涉及全球数字主权、治理和经济关系。随着数字平台在全球贸易、社交互动和信息传播中的作用越来越大，如何对其进行有效监管成为一个重要问题。

Some academics argue that Australia should strengthen regulation to ensure that these platforms comply with data protection laws, increase transparency, prevent breaches of user privacy, and reduce potential external interference (Hafez & Grune, 2022, p. 85). Critics are particularly concerned that Chinese digital platforms are heavily regulated by the government, which they believe could affect the flow of information within Australia and even interfere in political discussions within the country.
一些学者认为，澳大利亚应该加强监管，以确保这些平台遵守数据保护法，提高透明度，防止侵犯用户隐私，并减少潜在的外部干扰（Hafez & Grune，2022年，第85页）。批评者特别担心中国的数字平台受到政府的严格监管，他们认为这可能会影响澳大利亚内部的信息流动，甚至干扰该国内部的政治讨论。

On the other hand, some academics who support the idea of digital freedom argue that regulation should be balanced so as not to affect the Australia-China trade relationship. Overly restrictive laws could lead to China taking countermeasures that could affect Australian businesses' access to the Chinese market (Yu & Li, 2022, p. 110). As a result, clearer rules governing cross-border data and greater international cooperation could be a more effective way to safeguard both national security and economic interests. Cooperation could be a more effective way to safeguard both national security and economic interests.
另一方面，一些支持数字自由理念的学者认为，监管应该平衡，以免影响澳中贸易关系。过于严格的法律可能导致中国采取可能影响澳大利亚企业进入中国市场的对策（Yu & Li， 2022， p. 110）。因此，更明确的跨境数据管理规则和加强国际合作可能是维护国家安全和经济利益的更有效方式。 合作可能是维护国家安全和经济利益的更有效方式。

Conclusion
结论

Chinese digital platforms are central to Australia’s digital economy, political discussion and governance. They enable cross-border trade, improve connections in Chinese communities and foster digital innovation. On the flip side, the presence of these platforms also create offers major regulatory and governance challenges due to differed policy environment in China vs the Western world. These challenges are related to data sovereignty, content moderation and cyber security risks and hate become front and Centre to digital policy discussion in Australia.
中国的数字平台是澳大利亚数字经济、政治讨论和治理的核心。它们支持跨境贸易，改善华人社区的联系，并促进数字创新。另一方面，由于中国与西方世界的政策环境不同，这些平台的存在也带来了重大的监管和治理挑战。这些挑战与数据主权、内容审核和网络安全风险有关，仇恨成为澳大利亚数字政策讨论的前沿和中心。

The issues surrounding TikTok and WeChat illustrate these problems, especially as they relate to data security, political influence and regulatory compliance. TikTok has been closely scrutinized over its data management practices and alleged connections to the Chinese government, and WeChat's policies on content moderation have drawn attention for their implications for free speech and political discourse. In addition to the platforms themselves, these cases mirror the effects of wider geopolitical tensions on digital governance and international relations.
围绕 TikTok 和微信的问题说明了这些问题，尤其是当它们与数据安全、政治影响和监管合规有关时。TikTok 因其数据管理做法和涉嫌与中国政府的联系而受到密切关注，微信的内容审核政策因其对言论自由和政治话语的影响而受到关注。除了平台本身之外，这些案例还反映了更广泛的地缘政治紧张局势对数字治理和国际关系的影响。

Australia must develop more clear and nuanced policies for regulating these platforms and be mindful of the need to engage in international digital cooperation going forward. It is also important to strike a balance between national security, keeping user data safe and sound while also reacting alongside the economic agendas. Rather future regulatory strategies should increase transparency, require local compliance by platforms and establish better relations between code and law to create a more sustainable level playing field. Moving forward, Australia must establish clearer policies to regulate these platforms while maintaining international digital cooperation. As global media governance continues to evolve, Australia’s regulatory decisions will not only impact its domestic digital landscape but also contribute to broader international debates on platform accountability. The growing influence of transnational digital platforms calls for collaborative regulatory efforts, like the European Union’s GDPR framework or India’s strict platform bans. Future research should explore whether Australia will align itself more closely with democratic regulatory models or develop a unique approach to balancing digital openness with national security concerns.
澳大利亚必须制定更明确、更细致的政策来监管这些平台，并牢记未来参与国际数字合作的必要性。在国家安全、确保用户数据安全可靠以及与经济议程一起做出反应之间取得平衡也很重要。相反，未来的监管策略应该提高透明度，要求平台在当地遵守，并在代码和法律之间建立更好的关系，以创造一个更可持续的公平竞争环境。展望未来，澳大利亚必须制定更明确的政策来监管这些平台，同时保持国际数字合作。随着全球媒体治理的不断发展，澳大利亚的监管决策不仅会影响其国内数字格局，还将有助于就平台问责制进行更广泛的国际辩论。跨国数字平台的影响力越来越大，这需要合作的监管努力，例如欧盟的 GDPR 框架或印度的严格平台禁令。未来的研究应探讨澳大利亚是否会更紧密地与民主监管模式保持一致，或者开发一种独特的方法来平衡数字开放与国家安全问题。

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参考列表

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