One Game, Two Strategies: China and Russia’s Divergent Approaches to Micro-Cyber Sovereignty

This study re-examines the assumption that China and Russia have adopted similar strategies for advancing cyber sovereignty. Drawing on two-level game theory, it argues that China has adopted a two-level model, where domestic regulation and international engagement operate in parallel through norm diffusion. In contrast, Russia pursues a one-level model in which domestic cybersecurity concerns are aligned with its international legal initiatives, emphasising consistency between internal regulation and its advocacy for binding global norms. These divergent approaches are conceptualised as micro-cyber sovereignty, which operates through four layers: state authority, multi-level structure, policy variation and network interaction.