US Eyes on Russia-China Partnership, Joins Other Nations in Setting Internet Rules While Europe Rethinks Ties with Beijing

At a time when the US has accused Russia of using internet disruptions as part of its intensifying attacks on Ukraine, the US and 55 other countries made a political commitment on Thursday to advocate for internet standards based on democratic ideals.

The "Declaration for the Future of the Internet" protects human rights, promotes the free flow of information, protects users' privacy, and establishes rules for a growing global digital economy, among other measures to counter what two Biden administration officials described as a dangerous new model of internet policy from countries like Russia and China.

US, Partners Launch Plan for Internet's "Future"

According to the officials, the United States is witnessing a global trend of rising digital authoritarianism, with countries like Russia repressing freedom of expression, censoring independent news sites, interfering with elections, spreading disinformation, and depriving their citizens of other human rights.

Russia has undertaken cyberattacks since invading Ukraine, including a breach into a satellite internet provider's network at the start of the operation. The new endeavor, according to administration officials, is not an attempt to combat cyber warfare. The declaration is a tweaked version of the White House's attempts last year to unite a coalition of democracies around a vision for free and open internet.

Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine are among the countries that have joined the US; but despite the administration's efforts, the project has failed to get backing from some major parties.

India, the world's most populous democracy, has yet to join. Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and South Africa are all missing from the list. Even New Zealand, a strong US intelligence ally, was not included in an initial list of nations circulated before the announcement, though a senior administration official claimed it had since joined and the list had been revised, according to South China Morning Post.

DFI will also address internet access even though it is "restricted by certain authoritarian governments, and online platforms and digital technologies are increasingly utilized to stifle freedom of speech and deny other human rights and fundamental freedoms," according to officials.

DFI has also been searching at state-sponsored or condoned hostile activity, which they believe is on the rise, citing the spread of disinformation and unlawful damaging content, as well as how ransomware criminality impacts critical infrastructure security and resilience, as per Fox News.

Europe Sounds Alarmed With Russia-China Ties

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted a thorough review of European cities' individual and collective connections with China. Faced with the need to quickly unravel a decades-long reliance on Russian energy, government leaders from Rome to Prague are reconsidering the scope of their economic and political connections with China.

Senior parliamentarians in Berlin are beginning to understand the danger of repeating the error with another authoritarian state, increasing concerns about Germany's standing as Beijing's largest European commercial partner. The logic of the so-called 16+1 forum with China is being questioned again by countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Italy recently enhanced its veto authority over foreign takeovers, a move aimed squarely at China.

At the European Union level, sentiments have deteriorated as a result of Beijing's failure to denounce Russia's incursion and its attempts to undermine the transatlantic solidarity produced by the conflict. On April 1, a virtual EU-China summit took conducted in the backdrop of an increasingly problematic relationship, according to a source familiar with the deliberations.

The EU went into the meetings with the primary goal of urging China to use its clout with Russia to end the slaughter, the source said, adding that there was a real fear that China's ongoing inactivity would have a long-term detrimental impact on EU ties, Straits Times reported.