The Internet once promised the free and open flow of data across borders, but the demands of national sovereignty are increasingly limiting the movement of data between countries. Nowhere is the tension between the free movement and the regulation of data flows more significant than in the Sino-US relationship. Through analyses of corporate case studies, Chinese data regulations, and interview data, I contend that China’s increasing control of the global movement of data draws much of its power from a combination of US investors and the absence of a centralized US media and technology policy. Using cases from the global entertainment, payment, mobility, surveillance, and cybersecurity industries, my project examines how US free-market policies ultimately enhance, rather than counteract, Chinese efforts to enact new standards and control the global movement of data.