China’s recently unveiled “National Data Infrastructure Construction Guidelines” place blockchain at the heart of the country’s strategy to improve data security, transparency and scalability as part of its broader digital transformation.
The guidelinesreleased 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 that support secure data circulation, ensure traceability and prevent tampering as China builds a national integrated data market.
Under the proposed timeline, China expects to have a fully operational, blockchain-powered data infrastructure spanning the entire country by 2029. The entire plan will be implemented in phases.
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 grow into fully integrated national blockchain networks, supporting large-scale data flows across provinces, sectors and public-private partnerships.
Blockchain-powered infrastructure
A central feature of the plan is the development of ‘trusted data spaces’ that use blockchain to enable seamless data exchange between multiple parties while ensuring privacy, integrity and property rights.
These spaces, powered by distributed ledger technology (DLT), will serve as decentralized environments where companies, governments and individuals can exchange data securely and transparently.
The trusted spaces aim to address common data management 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 crucial in sectors such as cross-border logistics, supply chain management, e-commerce and financial services.
Furthermore, the guidelines propose the construction of “data markets” built on blockchain networks. These markets will enable the tokenization of data assets, enabling fractional ownership, monetization, and secure trading across platforms. This innovation is expected to unlock new revenue streams and drive data sharing on a large scale.
The plan also calls for the creation of blockchain-powered platforms tailored to specific industries. By 2026, pilot projects will test decentralized applications (dApps) in key sectors such as digital finance, green energy and smart manufacturing. These platforms will facilitate data interoperability between enterprises, accelerating the industry-wide adoption of blockchain technology.
For example, the guidelines encourage the development of blockchain-driven supply chain networks for agriculture and industrial production, ensuring product traceability and reducing fraud. The financial sector will explore DeFi solutions that use state-approved blockchains, offering 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 makes it possible to process and analyze sensitive data without making it public, addressing key privacy concerns in sensitive industries 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 increase national data resilience.
