Introduction
As one of the important underlying technologies in the digital economy era, blockchain plays a powerful supporting role in promoting the digital transformation of enterprises, facilitating industrial digital development, and advancing the construction of a digital China. With the conclusion of the "14th Five-Year" plan (2021-2025), the "15th Five-Year" plan (2026-2030) is in the planning stage, and the development direction and policy deployment of blockchain technology in this new phase are receiving much attention. This report will comprehensively analyze and predict the policy deployment regarding blockchain in China's "15th Five-Year" plan based on existing policy documents and industry trends.
The positioning and development focus of blockchain in the "14th Five-Year" plan
The strategic positioning of blockchain in the "14th Five-Year" plan
In the "14th Five-Year Plan and the 2035 Vision Goals Outline of the People's Republic of China," blockchain was first included in the national five-year plan and listed as one of the "seven key industries of the digital economy," alongside artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and cybersecurity, fully reflecting the high importance the Party Central Committee and the State Council place on the development of blockchain technology and industry.
The "14th Five-Year Plan Outline" has established "accelerating digital development and building a digital China" as an independent chapter, stating the need to develop seven key industries of the digital economy, including cloud computing, big data, IoT, industrial internet, blockchain, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality, with the goal of increasing the added value of the core industries of the digital economy to 10% of GDP by 2025.
The specific deployment of blockchain in the "14th Five-Year" plan
The specific deployment of the blockchain industry in the "14th Five-Year Plan Outline" mainly revolves around three aspects: technological innovation, platform application, and regulatory mechanisms.
In terms of technological innovation: It is proposed to promote innovations in blockchain technologies such as smart contracts, consensus algorithms, cryptographic algorithms, and distributed systems. This indicates that the state encourages breakthroughs in the research and development of underlying blockchain technologies to enhance the performance, security, and reliability of blockchain technology.
In terms of platform applications: Focus on the development of blockchain service platforms for consortium chains and application solutions in fields such as fintech, supply chain management, and government services. Consortium chains have been identified as the main development direction, emphasizing the characteristics of "controllable and non-tokenized," which better aligns with the current regulatory environment and application needs compared to public chains.
Regarding regulatory mechanisms: It is proposed to improve the blockchain regulatory mechanism. This indicates that while promoting the development of blockchain, the state also places great importance on risk prevention and regulatory system construction to ensure the healthy and orderly development of blockchain technology.
The continuation and deepening of blockchain development policies during the "14th Five-Year" period
In addition to the "14th Five-Year Plan Outline," a series of policy documents have been issued at the national level to further deepen and detail blockchain development policies:
In January 2021, the State Council issued the "14th Five-Year" digital economy development plan, officially incorporating blockchain along with big data, artificial intelligence, and other strategic forward-looking fields, indicating its important role in promoting digital industrialization and improving the digital economy governance system.
In June 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Central Cyberspace Administration issued the "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Application and Industrial Development of Blockchain Technology," clearly pointing out the need to leverage blockchain's important role in industrial transformation, promote the deep integration of blockchain with the economy and society, and accelerate the application and industrial development of blockchain technology.
The guiding opinions propose that by 2025, the comprehensive strength of the blockchain industry will reach the world's advanced level, and the industry will begin to take shape; blockchain applications will permeate multiple sectors of the economy and society, cultivating a batch of well-known products in areas such as product traceability, data circulation, and supply chain management, forming scenario-based demonstration applications.
Trends and directions for blockchain development in the "15th Five-Year" plan
The overall framework and positioning of blockchain in the "15th Five-Year" plan
The "15th Five-Year" plan (2026-2030) is the next five-year plan following the "14th Five-Year" plan and is currently in the drafting stage. According to Prime Minister Li Qiang's statement in the 2025 government work report, this year will focus on the preparation of the "15th Five-Year" plan, conducting an in-depth analysis of the new phase characteristics during the "15th Five-Year" period, scientifically determining development goals, and planning major strategic tasks, major policy measures, and major engineering projects to better play the guiding role of the plan in economic and social development.
Although the full text of the "15th Five-Year" plan has not yet been published, according to the work arrangements of the National Development and Reform Commission and other departments, the "15th Five-Year" plan will focus on four core areas: technological innovation, green low-carbon development, regional coordination, and livelihood security. Within this framework, blockchain, as a key technology of the digital economy, is expected to occupy an important position in the field of technological innovation.
Key directions for blockchain technology development in the "15th Five-Year" plan
Based on the continuity of the "14th Five-Year" plan and the current development trends of blockchain technology, it can be anticipated that the key directions for blockchain technology development in the "15th Five-Year" plan will mainly include:
In terms of technological innovation: Continue to promote breakthroughs in the research and development of core blockchain technologies. According to the blockchain technology innovation directions established in the "14th Five-Year" plan, the "15th Five-Year" plan may further emphasize the research on cutting-edge technologies such as consensus mechanism optimization, cross-chain technology, and privacy computing integrated with blockchain.
The "14th Five-Year Plan Outline" clearly identifies four major innovation directions in blockchain—technological innovation, platform innovation, application innovation, and regulatory innovation, which are expected to continue to deepen and improve in the "15th Five-Year" plan.
In terms of application scenarios: Blockchain applications will penetrate more widely into various fields. According to the guidance issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Central Cyberspace Administration, by 2025, blockchain applications will permeate multiple sectors of the economy and society, and it is expected that during the "15th Five-Year" period, application scenarios will further expand and deepen.
Specifically, the "15th Five-Year" plan may focus on supporting blockchain innovation in application areas such as supply chain management, product traceability, data sharing in the real economy, as well as public service areas like government services, evidence preservation, and smart cities.
In terms of industrial clustering: By 2025, it is expected to create 3-5 blockchain industry development clusters, nurturing a batch of backbone enterprises with international competitiveness and a batch of innovation-leading enterprises. The "15th Five-Year" plan may further improve the blockchain industry ecosystem, promote the construction of industrial clusters, and cultivate more internationally leading enterprises.
Directions for improving blockchain regulatory mechanisms in the "15th Five-Year" plan
With the rapid development and widespread application of blockchain technology, the improvement of regulatory mechanisms will become an important part of blockchain policy in the "15th Five-Year" plan.
Regulatory technology innovation: Utilize privacy computing, blockchain, and other technological means to strengthen security defenses. This indicates that regulatory technology will be deeply integrated with blockchain technology, enhancing regulatory effectiveness through technological innovation.
Security protection system: Build a full lifecycle protection system, using blockchain and other technological means to enhance data security and network security levels.
International cooperation and coordination: Strengthen international cooperation and coordination in blockchain regulation, participate in global blockchain governance, and enhance international discourse power and rule-making power.
The application prospects of blockchain in key areas of the "15th Five-Year" plan
The application prospects of blockchain in the field of technological innovation
The "15th Five-Year" plan will prioritize technological innovation as one of its core tasks, with blockchain serving as an important breakthrough for independent innovation in core technologies, playing a significant role in the field of technological innovation.
Digital infrastructure construction: Blockchain will become an important component of the new digital infrastructure. According to the "14th Five-Year" information and communication industry development plan, blockchain has been listed as an important component of new infrastructure, alongside 5G, gigabit optical fiber networks, mobile IoT, and more. It is expected that in the "15th Five-Year" plan, the status of blockchain in digital infrastructure will be further enhanced.
Frontier technology integration and innovation: Blockchain will deeply integrate with frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing, promoting integrated innovation and converged applications. This will give rise to more innovative applications and business models.
Construction of a technical standard system: By 2025, China will establish a national-level blockchain standard system. The "15th Five-Year" plan may further improve the blockchain technology standard system, enhancing international discourse power and rule-making power.
The application prospects of blockchain in the field of green transformation
The "15th Five-Year" plan will prioritize green transformation as one of its key tasks, and blockchain has broad application prospects in promoting green transformation.
Carbon trading and carbon asset management: Blockchain can be used to build a secure and transparent carbon trading system, record and verify carbon emission data, and support the development of carbon markets. Through blockchain technology, the authenticity and traceability of carbon data can be ensured, improving the efficiency and transparency of carbon trading.
Green finance and sustainable development: Blockchain can be used for innovation in green financial products and services, supporting the issuance and trading of green finance tools such as green credit and green bonds. Through blockchain technology, the entire process tracking of green financial products can be achieved, ensuring that the flow of funds complies with green standards.
Circular economy and resource management: Blockchain can be used to build a circular economy system, achieving efficient allocation and recycling of resources. Through blockchain technology, a product lifecycle management mechanism can be established to promote resource conservation and environmental protection.
The application prospects of blockchain in the field of regional coordination
The "15th Five-Year" plan will prioritize regional coordination as one of its key tasks, and blockchain has unique advantages in promoting regional coordinated development.
Cross-regional data sharing and collaboration: Blockchain can be used to build cross-regional data sharing platforms, achieving interconnectivity of data between different regions. Through blockchain technology, data sharing can be ensured to be secure and reliable, promoting collaboration between regions.
Regional economic integration: Blockchain can be used to support the development of regional economic integration, promoting economic cooperation and resource integration among regions. Through blockchain technology, a more efficient and transparent regional economic cooperation mechanism can be constructed.
Equalization of public services: Blockchain can be used to promote the equalization of public services, improving the accessibility and quality of public services. Through blockchain technology, cross-regional collaboration in public services can be realized, enhancing the efficiency of public services.
The application prospects of blockchain in the field of livelihood security
The "15th Five-Year" plan will prioritize livelihood security as one of its key tasks, and blockchain has significant value in improving livelihood security levels.
Digital identity and privacy protection: Blockchain can be used to build a secure and reliable digital identity system, protecting citizens' personal information security. Through blockchain technology, self-control and secure use of digital identity can be achieved.
Healthcare and social security: Blockchain can be used to support the digital transformation in healthcare and social security, improving service efficiency and quality. Through blockchain technology, secure sharing of medical data and transparent use of social security funds can be achieved.
Education and cultural services: Blockchain can be used to promote the sharing and circulation of education and cultural resources, improving resource utilization efficiency. Through blockchain technology, a fairer and more efficient education and cultural service system can be constructed.
Policy recommendations for the development of the blockchain industry in the "15th Five-Year" plan
Technological innovation and standard system construction
In the "15th Five-Year" plan, efforts should continue to strengthen breakthroughs in the research and development of core blockchain technologies, focusing on supporting innovation in key technologies such as smart contracts, consensus algorithms, cryptographic algorithms, and distributed systems. At the same time, accelerate the establishment of a complete blockchain technology standard system, actively participate in the formulation of international standards, and enhance China's discourse power in the global blockchain technology standard field.
According to the requirements of the "14th Five-Year Plan Outline," China needs to increase efforts to solidly conduct key technology research in blockchain, promoting innovations in blockchain technology such as smart contracts, consensus algorithms, cryptographic algorithms, and distributed systems. Innovations in the underlying technology of blockchain remain key to blockchain technology innovation.
Expansion of application scenarios and construction of the industrial ecosystem
In the "15th Five-Year" plan, efforts should be made to further expand the application of blockchain in finance, supply chain management, government affairs, healthcare, education, and other fields, forming more scenario-based demonstration applications. At the same time, promote the deep integration of blockchain with technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing to build a more complete industrial ecosystem.
Currently, the consensus mechanism of blockchain technology is continuously optimized, transitioning from traditional PoW (Proof of Work) to more efficient PoS (Proof of Stake) and DPoS (Delegated Proof of Stake), significantly improving the transaction processing speed and energy efficiency of blockchain networks. These technological innovations will provide technical support for the expansion of blockchain application scenarios.
Industrial clustering and international cooperation
In the "15th Five-Year" plan, efforts should continue to create blockchain industry development clusters, nurturing a batch of backbone enterprises with international competitiveness and a batch of innovation-leading enterprises. At the same time, strengthen international cooperation in the blockchain field, participate in global blockchain governance, and enhance international influence.
According to the guidance issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Central Cyberspace Administration, by 2025, 3-5 blockchain industry development clusters will be created, nurturing a batch of internationally competitive blockchain "famous enterprises," incubating blockchain startups, and encouraging the creation of unicorn enterprises. The "15th Five-Year" plan may further refine these policy measures, promoting the high-quality development of the blockchain industry.
Conclusion and Outlook
As a key planning document for China to basically achieve modernization by 2035, the "15th Five-Year" plan will comprehensively layout in the fields of technological innovation, green transformation, regional coordination, and livelihood security. As a key technology of the digital economy, blockchain will play an important role in these areas.
From the perspective of technological innovation, the "15th Five-Year" plan will continue to support breakthroughs in the research and development of core blockchain technologies, promoting blockchain technology to develop to a higher level. From the perspective of application scenarios, blockchain will penetrate more widely into various fields, forming more scenario-based demonstration applications. From the perspective of industrial clustering, more blockchain industry development clusters will be created, nurturing more internationally leading enterprises. From the perspective of regulatory mechanisms, a more complete security protection system and governance system will be established.
In the future, with the implementation of the "15th Five-Year" plan, blockchain technology will be more deeply integrated into various aspects of economic and social development, providing strong support for building a digital China and injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of China's economy and society.