The State Council has issued the “14th Five-Year Plan for Digital Economy Development.”

The State Council recently issued the “14th Five-Year Plan for Digital Economy Development” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”), which is the first national-level special plan in China’s digital economy sector. The Plan sets out that by 2025, the added value of core digital industries will account for 10% of GDP; a preliminary data-factor market system will be established; industrial digitalization will reach a new level; the level of digitalization in industry will see a significant boost; digital public services will become more inclusive and equitable; and the governance framework for the digital economy will be further improved.

The Plan sets out a comprehensive framework for the development of the digital economy during the 14th Five-Year Period, covering eight key areas: optimizing and upgrading digital infrastructure; fully harnessing the role of data as a factor of production; vigorously advancing the digital transformation of industries; accelerating the industrialization of digital technologies; continuously elevating the level of digital public services; improving and perfecting the governance system for the digital economy; strengthening the digital economy’s security framework; and effectively expanding international cooperation in the digital economy.

In terms of optimizing and upgrading digital infrastructure, the Plan calls for accelerating the development of information network infrastructure, promoting cloud–network synergy and the integrated development of computing and networking, and steadily advancing the intelligent upgrade of infrastructure.

In accelerating the digitalization of industries, the Plan calls for strengthening innovation capabilities in key technologies, speeding up the development of new business forms and models, and fostering a thriving yet well-ordered innovation ecosystem.

In addition, the Plan outlines 11 key initiatives—ranging from optimizing and upgrading information network infrastructure and enhancing data quality to piloting the development of a data‑element market and accelerating digital transformation in priority sectors—providing crucial leverage for implementing and advancing the various tasks aimed at fostering the growth of the digital economy.

Wu Qi, Executive Dean of the Wuxi Institute for Digital Economy, told a reporter from the Economic Information Daily that the release of the Plan has set the course for the sustained and healthy development of China’s digital economy. Moving forward, it will be necessary to promote balanced development across the digital economy, intensify efforts to build digital infrastructure in the central and western regions as well as in rural and remote areas, and strengthen data‑resource connectivity and industrial‑data cooperation between the eastern and central‑western regions. Furthermore, coordinated development between the consumer internet and the industrial internet should be accelerated, with both policy measures and market forces driving the pace of industrial digitalization. At the same time, legislation on data governance and oversight of digital platforms must be strengthened, and a sound regulatory framework for the digital economy should be established.

Wang Juan, Secretary-General of the Digital Economy Special Committee of the Beijing Computer Society, told a reporter from the Economic Information Daily that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, developing the core industries of the digital economy will require vigorous advancement in key areas such as 5G, artificial intelligence, the industrial internet, high-end chips, and advanced industrial software. At the same time, as foundational business models and critical technologies continue to evolve, small and medium-sized enterprises in market‑oriented sectors—such as digital product manufacturing and digital product services—will unlock substantial potential in emerging fields like virtual reality, green and low‑carbon technologies, high‑end equipment, and biotechnology. These developments will serve as a sustainable source of momentum for the future growth of the digital economy.

With a focus on advancing the implementation of the Plan, officials from the National Development and Reform Commission stated that they will increase investment in areas where the digital economy remains underdeveloped and establish long-term mechanisms to support its growth. At the same time, they will coordinate efforts to promote pilot and demonstration projects in the digital economy, explore and develop a set of best practices and institutional outcomes tailored to its development, and foster a positive dynamic in which successful initiatives at specific sites drive broader progress.

Source: AgroPages (World Agrochemical Network)