In the following document, three Chinese government ministries describe an ambitious plan to make all or most of China’s public data, data disclosed by corporations, and personal data discoverable and usable in a single catalog by 2029. The effort involves creating a standard data identifier system, identity authentication scheme, and interface, as well as a secure network infrastructure for accessing the data. The document does not, however, identify which ministries will be responsible for implementing and enforcing the plan, and explains that the scheme is still in the exploratory phase and that actual construction of the catalog will not begin until 2027.
An archived version of the Chinese source text is available online at: https://perma.cc/KX7B-KUQS
Guidelines for National Data Infrastructure Construction
December 2024
Preface
Since the 18th Party Congress [in 2012], the Party Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, has astutely grasped the new opportunities presented by the new round of scientific and technological (S&T) revolution and industrial transformation, taken into account the overall strategic situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the great changes in the world unseen in a century (世界百年未有之大变局), made major arrangements for the development of the digital economy, and outlined a grand blueprint for the construction of a Digital China in the new era.
The Third Plenum of the 20th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee clearly proposed that we “construct and put into operation national data infrastructure to promote data sharing.” All regions and departments have conscientiously implemented the spirit of the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and actively explored the construction of data infrastructure, laying a good foundation for the reform of marketized allocation of data factors of production (要素) and the construction of a national integrated data market. At the same time, we must also see that the vigorous development of the digital economy has put forward new and higher requirements for the circulation, utilization, and unleashing of the value of data. It is urgently necessary to allow assertive government and effective markets (有为政府和有效市场) to better play their roles and build a national data infrastructure that takes into account efficiency and fairness, adapts to the characteristics of data factors of production, and gives full play to the value and effectiveness of data.
In accordance with the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the National Data Administration, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) have organized the compilation of the Guidelines for National Data Infrastructure Construction based on extensive research. This document strives to clarify the concepts, development vision, and construction goals of data infrastructure under the current circumstances, guide and promote data infrastructure construction, and promote the formation of a basic national data infrastructure pattern that features horizontal connection, vertical integration, and strong coordination. It strives to open up the arteries of data circulation, smooth the circulation of data resources, promote data application development, cultivate a national integrated data market, lay a solid foundation for the development of the digital economy, and provide strong support for the construction of a Digital China.
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