This report examines China’s global digital infrastructure investments and the ways that the United States and its allies can leverage blended finance, partnerships, and policy to close the digital divide while offering a credible alternative to China’s expanding digital influence.
Report
June 16, 2026 • 11:30 am ET
Kenton Thibaut and Jochai Ben-Avie
Executive summary
Billions of people live without access to the internet. Far from simply a development issue, connecting the unconnected has become a central arena of geopolitical competition, with long-term implications for national security, economic growth, policy, and control over digital infrastructure.
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