High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy

“An indispensable study for those-most of us-who work in the field but to whom China, alongside the other two major regulatory players (the EU and the US), is the least accessible.” — J. H.H. Weiler, University Professor, New York University School of Law

“A masterful analysis of the logic behind the Chinese government’s regulation of the country’s platform economy and how that regulation shapes the digital economy. Truly insightful, highly compelling, and a timely read by one of the foremost experts of the Chinese regulatory state.” — Anu Bradford, Henry L. Moses Professor of Law and International Organizations, Columbia Law School and author of Digital Empires: The Global Battle to Regulate Technology

“Zhang has a knack for sifting through disparate, seemingly random policy directives to find the unifying elements shaping China’s world. This is on full display in High Wire. And it comes at a time when illuminating analysis on China’s platform economy is in high demand.” — Don Weinland, China Business and Finance Editor, The Economist

“Zhang’s High Wire is the single best book for those who need to understand China’s regulation of its tech markets – both what has happened, and what will happen. An essential and comprehensive resource in an area where overly simplistic understandings have too often led outsiders astray.” — Tim Wu, Former Special Assistant to President Biden for Technology and Competition Policy, 2021-2023 and author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empire

“This well-researched and sharply analytical book on platform governance addresses some of the most critical issues of our time as geopolitical fault lines begin to form, with technology being a central domain of competition between the United States and China.” — Cheng Li, Director of the Center on Contemporary China and the World, the University of Hong Kong & former Director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution

“China is an enigma. Anyone who has been trying to crack it and understand policymaking in China and its regulatory approach, including its swings between onerous and lenient, should experience several “aha” moments while reading High Wire. The writing is clear and simple. You do not need much prior knowledge of China in order to appreciate the analysis. I really enjoyed reading this book.” — Darren Grayson Chng, Society for Computers & Law

“Without sensationalization, Angela Zhang’s “High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy” offers a grounded and compelling guide to understanding the byzantine dynamics at play.” — Brian Wong, Assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Hong Kong

“High Wire offers a masterful analysis of the logic behind the Chinese government’s regulation of its platform economy and how that regulation shapes the digital economy. This book’s clear and accessible writing style makes it suitable for a wide audience, including policymakers, academics, and general readers interested in the global economy.” — Lu Zhang, Chinese Journal of Communication

“High Wire is certain to be a vital starting point for anyone seeking to understand the nature of Chinese technology regulation. Building from a focus on technology platforms, Zhang has also developed a more general theory of economic regulation. I expect to see future studies of Chinese economic governance apply and build upon her framework.” — Frank Pasquale, Regulation & Governance

“Chinese Big Tech regulation with the rapidly evolving landscape in the United States and the European Union. The book also offers a prediction about China’s future governance of Big Tech companies, with a special focus on artificial intelligence. Recommended.” — Choice

“Angela Zhang’s timely book on China’s big tech regulation and governance offers a valuable lens through which to examine the country’s complex domestic power structure and dynamic interactions among various actors.” — Yukyung Yeo, Pacific Affairs

Angela Huyue Zhang is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Hong Kong and Director of the Phillip K. H. Wong Center for Chinese Law. Zhang is widely recognized as a leading authority on Chinese tech regulation. She is the author of Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism: How the Rise of China Challenges Global Regulation (Oxford, 2021), which was named one of the Best Political Economy Books of 2021 by ProMarket. In fall 2024, Zhang will join the University of Southern California as a Professor of Law. Visit her website at AngelaZhang.net, and follow her on Twitter @AngelaZhangHK.