Contested Architectures of Digital Influence: How ideological differences between China and Europe shape their respective capacities for digital soft power competition

Digital technologies have transformed the ways in which states project influence such that digital soft power has come to represent an increasingly important dimension of geopolitical competition. Although existing scholarship has examined the approaches to digital soft power respectively adopted by China and the European Union (EU), direct comparative analysis remains limited. Moreover, where ideology is considered, it is typically treated as contextual background rather than an explanatory variable shaping digital soft power capacity. This article therefore addresses this gap by asking: How do ideological differences between China and Europe shape their respective capacities for digital soft power competition? Drawing on a qualitative analysis of relevant literature regarding digital soft power, digital governance, and EU-China relations, the study analyses three interconnected dimensions of competition: platform governance, narrative and content, and digital infrastructure and standards. It is argued that China’s state-coordinated ideological model currently affords it greater capacity in terms of digital soft power across these three dimensions than the EU’s liberal pluralist approach. By treating ideology as a determinant of digital soft power capability, the article contributes to debates on EU-China relations and the evolving nature of global influence in the digital age.