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Constructing cybersecurity discourse via deconstructing legislation

  • Le Cheng

    Le Cheng is Chair Professor of Law, Professor of Cyber Studies and Professor of Legal Discourse and Translation at Zhejiang University. He serves as the Executive Vice Dean of Zhejiang University’s Academy of International Strategy and Law, Acting Head of International Institute of Cyberspace Governance, Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Legal Discourse, Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Digital Law and Governance, Co-Editor of Comparative Legilinguistics (International Journal for Legal Communication), former Co-Editor of Social Semiotics, and editorial member of Semiotica, Pragmatics & Society, and International Journal for the Semiotics of Law. As a highly-cited scholar, he has published widely in the areas of international law, digital law and governance, cyber law, semiotics, discourse studies, terminology, and legal discourse and translation.

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    , Jiaxuan Qiu

    Jiaxuan Qiu is research fellow at Zhejiang University. Her research interests include legal discourse, cybersecurity laws, gender studies, and global governance.

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    and Yi Yang

    Yi Yang is a research fellow at New York University. Her research interests include in legal discourse, law and literature, and modern education.

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Published/Copyright: November 15, 2023

Abstract

Based on a self-built corpus of Chinese cybersecurity legislation, this study explores the construction of China’s official cybersecurity discourse via deconstructing cybersecurity legislation from the perspective of system theory. Analysis focusing on the internal features of the discourse obtains the themes, actors, and legal relations in China’s cybersecurity legislation. Among four pairs of legal relations, system theory provides an explanation for the tension between public-private legal relationship and private-private legal relationship, that is, whether the legislative system chooses to delegate network operators with administrative function depends on how the system perceives the nature of cybersecurity issues and integrate new issues into securitization process. Furthermore, the external features of legislation discourse reveal the changes in the number of all levels of cybersecurity legislation. It is found that the coupling resonance of the political system and the legal system promotes the development of relevant legislation, and facilitates the self-development legislation system to transfer from diversified legislation to unified legislation.


Corresponding author: Jiaxuan Qiu, Guanghua Law School, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China, E-mail:

About the authors

Le Cheng

Le Cheng is Chair Professor of Law, Professor of Cyber Studies and Professor of Legal Discourse and Translation at Zhejiang University. He serves as the Executive Vice Dean of Zhejiang University’s Academy of International Strategy and Law, Acting Head of International Institute of Cyberspace Governance, Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Legal Discourse, Editor-in-Chief of International Journal of Digital Law and Governance, Co-Editor of Comparative Legilinguistics (International Journal for Legal Communication), former Co-Editor of Social Semiotics, and editorial member of Semiotica, Pragmatics & Society, and International Journal for the Semiotics of Law. As a highly-cited scholar, he has published widely in the areas of international law, digital law and governance, cyber law, semiotics, discourse studies, terminology, and legal discourse and translation.

Jiaxuan Qiu

Jiaxuan Qiu is research fellow at Zhejiang University. Her research interests include legal discourse, cybersecurity laws, gender studies, and global governance.

Yi Yang

Yi Yang is a research fellow at New York University. Her research interests include in legal discourse, law and literature, and modern education.

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Received: 2023-01-19
Accepted: 2023-09-10
Published Online: 2023-11-15
Published in Print: 2023-12-15

© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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