Global Rivalry Over the Leadership in ICT Standardisation: SDO Governance Amid Changing Patterns of Participation

Increasing participation of Chinese companies in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) standardization has been a frequent topic of the recent academic and policy discussions. Many Western governments and companies believe that the growing representation of Chinese companies, especially Huawei,  in the leadership of Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) allows these companies to unduly influence standardization processes. Building on previous empirical studies on China’s representation in SDOs, this chapter theorizes whether, and to what extent, different institutional models of SDOs are capable of safeguarding the integrity and independence of their standardization processes and their resilience to political and commercial pressures, by studying the rules on the leadership appointments of four global SDOs. In a broader sense, our analysis sheds light on the neutrality, independence and trustworthiness of these critical institutions of global economic governance and their evolving and continuous relevance for global standardization.