China’s model for combating digital fraud: legal instruments, cross-border costs, and cooperation experience with Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar

Introduction. In the context of rapid digitalization of social and economic processes, cross-border cybercrime is becoming more systematic and organized. Digital fraud originating from the countries of the so-called "golden triangle" of Southeast Asia is of particular interest in this area.: Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. The purpose of this study is to identify patterns of transformation of the Chinese approach from predominantly unilateral restrictive measures to the formation of a system of economic incentives aimed at developing sustainable regional cooperation.

Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the research was made up of both general scientific and special legal methods of cognition. In particular, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, as well as methods of abstraction and generalization were used. Within the framework of special legal tools, comparative legal and formal legal methods were used, which made it possible to compare the norms of the legislation of the People's Republic of China and the states of Southeast Asia in the field of countering digital fraud.

Research results. The analysis revealed the complex, multi-level architecture of the Chinese model of countering cross-border digital fraud. An essential feature of this model is that the fight against digital fraud is considered not only as a law enforcement task, but also as a tool for the socio-economic development of partner countries.

Discussion and conclusion. The results of the study indicate that the Chinese model of countering cross-border digital fraud reflects a qualitatively new stage in the development of international legal cooperation in the digital age. Unlike classical approaches, it focuses on long-term institutional cooperation and the formation of common regulatory standards. The use of economic incentives along with legal mechanisms makes it possible not only to increase the effectiveness of law enforcement, but also to eliminate the structural prerequisites for cybercrime.

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