China's Digital Silk Road exports internet technology, controls

FILE - A phone production line is pictured at a Huawei factory in Dongguan, China, March 6, 2019. China's state media this week announced Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer Midea Group jointly built its first overseas 5G factory in Thailand with Huawei and other firms.

China promotes its help to Southeast Asian countries in modernizing their digital landscapes through investments in infrastructure as part of its "Digital Silk Road." But rights groups say Beijing is also exporting its model of authoritarian governance of the internet through censorship, surveillance and controls.