China’s newly unveiled “National Data Infrastructure Construction Guidelines” place blockchain at the heart of the country’s strategy to enhance data security, transparency, and scalability as part of its broader digital transformation push.
The guidelines, released by the National Development and Reform Commission and other agencies, highlight blockchain technology as a cornerstone for facilitating trusted data exchange across industries and regions.
The document envisions blockchain networks supporting secure data circulation, ensuring traceability, and preventing tampering as China builds a national integrated data market.
According to the proposed timeline, China expects to have a fully operational blockchain-powered data infrastructure that spans the nation by 2029. The entire plan will be implemented in a phased approach.
Between 2024 and 2026, the government will launch pilot projects in key regions to refine blockchain frameworks and test real-world applications. By 2028, these pilot programs will evolve into fully integrated national blockchain networks, supporting large-scale data flow between provinces, sectors, and public-private partnerships.
Blockchain-powered infrastructure
A central feature of the plan is the development of “trusted data spaces” that utilize blockchain to enable seamless multi-party data sharing while ensuring privacy, integrity, and ownership rights.
These spaces, powered by distributed ledger technology (DLT), will serve as decentralized environments where businesses, governments, and individuals can exchange data securely and transparently.
The trusted spaces aim to address common data governance challenges by creating immutable records of data transactions. This allows stakeholders to verify data provenance and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. These ecosystems will be pivotal in industries such as cross-border logistics, supply chain management, e-commerce, and financial services.
Additionally, the guidelines propose the construction of “data markets” built on blockchain networks. These markets will allow for the tokenization of data assets, enabling fractional ownership, monetization, and secure trading across platforms. This innovation is expected to unlock new revenue streams and incentivize data sharing at scale.
The plan also calls for the establishment 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 facilitate data interoperability between enterprises, accelerating sector-wide adoption of blockchain technology.
For example, the guidelines encourage the development of blockchain-driven supply chain networks for agriculture and industrial manufacturing, ensuring product traceability and reducing fraud. In the financial sector, DeFi solutions leveraging state-approved blockchains will be explored, providing secure, low-cost alternatives to traditional systems.
Security and privacy
China’s emphasis on blockchain extends beyond data sharing to securing the infrastructure itself. The guidelines detail plans to integrate blockchain with advanced privacy-enhancing technologies, including secure multi-party computation, homomorphic encryption, and zero-knowledge proofs.
This combination will allow sensitive data to be processed and analyzed without being exposed, addressing key privacy concerns in sensitive sectors such as healthcare and finance.
The document also outlines 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 reduce single points of failure and enhance national data resilience.
