China calls for national blockchain network in new technology push

China’s top leadership has ordered the construction of a national blockchain network. It is one of the most explicit endorsements of the technology Beijing has issued to date. This is blockchain as state infrastructure: data pipes, computing grids and regulated markets, with crypto tokens left firmly outside the building. What Beijing actually ordered On October 9, 2026, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council issued a policy document titled “Opinions on Developing New Quality Productive Forces.” State news agency Xinhua published it the following day, October 10. The document lays out 19 measures. Two of the headline goals are a national blockchain network and a nationwide integrated computing power network. The stated purpose is to tighten the link between the real economy and the digital one. The directive targets several fronts at once: Optimizing national data infrastructure Pushing manufacturing toward digitalization Supporting the “East Data, West Computing” project Building systems for data property rights, market transactions and interest protection Piloting markets that treat data as a regulated asset The initiative directly involves 16 centra...