With the rapid development of digital technologies such as big data and AI, data is becoming a key resource and weapon in the digital era. However, unlike other economic goods, the eco-system of data has not yet been properly established. Competition between the U.S. and Chi-na over data hegemony is intensifying at a time when global norms on how to operate data, a key resource in the future economy, are being discussed and determined.
China first began promoting big data development as a national strategy in 2012, and is de-veloping the data economy by fostering data-related technologies and industries, converging data to economy and society, building data markets, developing standards, and establishing related laws/systems. In particular, data-related laws clearly reflect China's authoritarian stance on data governance.
In response, the United States regulates Chinese companies through domestic law and push-es for decoupling with China by strengthening solidarity with allies based on common security threats. While China responds by promoting its corporate competitiveness, expanding data transactions and standard development domestically and internationally, and enhancing inter-national digital cooperation. Complete decoupling with China, which generates 30% of the world's data, is difficult to realize, and a prolonged conflict between the U.S. and China is in-evitable as China adheres to authoritarian data governance. It is necessary to prepare com-prehensive and mid- to long-term countermeasures for Korea.