China’s Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission published the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Informatization on October 23, 2026, setting a 2030 target to complete a national blockchain network. The plan prioritizes trade and finance applications in the Yangtze River Delta alongside large-scale industrial deployment in the Chengdu–Chongqing region. Despite strict bans on cryptocurrency business, China continues promoting blockchain as a strategic technology.
National blockchain network targets and integration
- ▪China's Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission published the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Informatization on October 23, 2026, setting a 2030 target to largely complete its national blockchain network.
- ▪The 2030 national blockchain completion target clarifies explicit goals for a national project originally included in China's national development plan released in March 2026.
- ▪China's national blockchain network initiative is designed to integrate the real and digital economies alongside developments in integrated circuits, display technology, artificial intelligence, and 6G communications.
Key focus areas in the 15th Five-Year Plan
- ▪The 15th Five-Year Plan for National Informatization calls for greater use of blockchain technology in data circulation and trading.
- ▪The 15th Five-Year Plan for National Informatization prioritizes deeper blockchain use in trade and finance across the Yangtze River Delta.
- ▪The 15th Five-Year Plan for National Informatization calls for large-scale blockchain deployment in manufacturing and agriculture in the Chengdu–Chongqing region.
- ▪The 15th Five-Year Plan for National Informatization calls for stronger national blockchain technical standards and promoting those standards internationally.
President Xi Jinping's guidance
- ▪President Xi Jinping called for greater investment in blockchain technology in October 2019, identifying it as a key area for China's technological self-reliance.
- ▪China's effort to build a national blockchain network aligns with President Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Cryptocurrency restrictions in China
- ▪Mainland China bans all business activities related to virtual assets and cryptocurrencies while simultaneously promoting blockchain technology as a strategic national priority.
- ▪Data from Chainalysis showed that peer-to-peer stablecoin wallets in China expanded 43-fold despite ongoing cryptocurrency restrictions.
Story comments
Loading comments…