China’s recently unveiled “National Data Infrastructure Construction Guidelines” positions blockchain at the center of the nation’s strategy to enhance data security, transparency, and scalability, marking a key step in its broader digital transformation efforts.
The guidelines, released by the National Development and Reform Commission alongside other agencies, highlight blockchain technology as a critical element for enabling trusted data exchange across industries and regions.
The document envisions blockchain networks facilitating secure data circulation, ensuring traceability, and preventing tampering as China moves toward establishing a national integrated data market.
The proposed timeline anticipates a fully operational blockchain-powered data infrastructure across the country by 2029, with the implementation unfolding in multiple phases.
Between 2024 and 2026, the government will initiate pilot projects in key regions to refine blockchain frameworks and test real-world applications. By 2028, these pilot programs are expected to evolve into fully integrated national blockchain networks, facilitating large-scale data exchange between provinces, sectors, and public-private partnerships.
Blockchain-Powered Infrastructure
A central aspect of the plan is the creation of “trusted data spaces” that leverage blockchain technology to support seamless multi-party data sharing while ensuring privacy, integrity, and ownership rights.
These trusted spaces, powered by distributed ledger technology (DLT), will provide decentralized environments where businesses, governments, and individuals can exchange data securely and transparently.
The trusted data spaces aim to address common challenges in data governance by creating immutable records of data transactions. This will allow stakeholders to verify data provenance and ensure compliance with regulatory standards. These ecosystems are expected to play a pivotal role in industries such as cross-border logistics, supply chain management, e-commerce, and financial services.
Additionally, the guidelines propose the development of “data markets” built on blockchain networks. These markets will facilitate the tokenization of data assets, allowing for fractional ownership, monetization, and secure trading across platforms. This innovation is projected to open new revenue opportunities and incentivize large-scale data sharing.
The plan also includes the creation of blockchain-powered platforms tailored to specific industries. By 2026, pilot projects will test decentralized applications (dApps) in critical sectors such as digital finance, green energy, and smart manufacturing. These platforms will enhance data interoperability across enterprises, driving sector-wide blockchain adoption.
For example, the guidelines advocate for the development of blockchain-driven supply chain networks for agriculture and industrial manufacturing, improving product traceability and reducing fraud. In the financial sector, decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions built on state-approved blockchains will be explored, offering secure, low-cost alternatives to traditional systems.
Security and Privacy
China’s emphasis on blockchain technology extends beyond data sharing to securing the infrastructure itself. The guidelines outline plans to integrate blockchain with advanced privacy-enhancing technologies, such as secure multi-party computation, homomorphic encryption, and zero-knowledge proofs.
This combination will enable sensitive data to be processed and analyzed without exposure, addressing key privacy concerns in sectors such as healthcare and finance.
The document also details the creation of blockchain-based monitoring systems for real-time data integrity checks, protecting against unauthorized access, leaks, and cyber threats. By decentralizing control over critical data flows, the initiative aims to eliminate single points of failure and strengthen national data resilience.
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