Sovereign equality, non-interference and “information security”: The new un cybercrime convention as a mirror of the sino-russian stance on international law

• ANTONIO MARICONDA ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Milan

     University of Milan

     Milán, Italia

     
• Localización: Ordine Internazionale e Diritti Umani, ISSN-e 2284-3531, Nº. 4, 2025, págs. 863-891
• Idioma: inglés
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen

  • This article argues that the UN Cybercrime Convention, recently adopted by the UN General Assembly, together with the prominent role of Russia, China and other like-minded States in its drafting, reflects a State-centred vision of cyberspace governance consistent with the broader understanding of international law articulated in Sino-Russian practice. Notably, it demonstrates that their conception of sovereignty as the cornerstone of international law, along with its corollaries of sovereign equality, non-interference, and the primacy of State interests over individual rights, first shaped the Sino-Russian approach to international cybersecurity and later found expression in the drafting of the UN Cybercrime Convention.

    To this end, each section analyses one of these corollaries of sovereignty, tracing its articulation in Sino-Russian practice, its influence within UN fora on cybersecurity and cybercrime, and its reflection in the UN Convention’s provisions