As the global digitalization wave surges and the concept of Web3 is in the ascendant, the Chinese government has once again demonstrated its ambition and layout in the field of blockchain technology. Recently, several core government departments in Beijing jointly issued an important policy document called "Beijing Blockchain Innovation and Application Development Action Plan (2025-2027)", which clearly outlines the grand blueprint for blockchain technology research and development, infrastructure construction and industrial integration applications in the capital and even the whole country in the next three years. This plan not only positions blockchain as the "core technology of industrial digitalization", but also releases subtle signals of possible exploration of "digital asset" applications against the background of strict cryptocurrency bans, which has attracted great attention from the market.
Top-level design: three-year action plan
The action plan released by Beijing this time is far more significant than a local industrial policy. It clearly shows that blockchain technology has been elevated to the strategic core level of national digital transformation and industrial upgrading. The plan clearly states that blockchain is "an important foundation for the development of industrial digitalization" and has unparalleled potential in "enhancing data trust and optimizing process efficiency." This positioning means that blockchain is no longer just seen as an emerging technology, but has been incorporated into the key components of national digital infrastructure construction.
The implementation period of the plan is set from 2025 to 2027, with the goal of making Beijing a benchmark city for global blockchain technology innovation and a leader in digital economic development. This is not only an expectation for Beijing's own scientific and technological strength, but also aims to drive the development and application of blockchain technology across the country through the demonstration and leading role of the capital. The plan was jointly launched by multiple heavyweight departments such as the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Zhongguancun Management Committee, Cyberspace Administration, Government Affairs Data Bureau, Economic and Information Bureau, and Commerce Bureau, reflecting the government's cross-departmental collaborative determination and high attention to promoting this work.
Looking back to 2023, China has released the (Web3 Innovation and Development White Paper), which clearly states that "Web3 is an irreversible trend in the future development of the Internet" and promises to invest at least 100 million yuan each year to support Web3 technology innovation between 2023 and 2024. Beijing's action plan this time is a specific continuation and deepening of the national Web3 strategy, showing the continuity and execution of policies.
Core framework: one chain, one network, one platform
The core concept of the action plan revolves around the overall plan of "one chain, one network, one platform", aiming to build a set of autonomous, controllable, efficient and collaborative blockchain infrastructure system:
One Chain: emphasizes the construction of a "next-generation blockchain system" that is technologically advanced, highly secure, and has excellent performance, and is independently controlled by China. This requires breakthroughs in basic theories and key technologies such as cryptography, consensus mechanisms, smart contracts, confidential computing, and distributed systems.
One Network: Focusing on the needs of massive applications and data interaction in the future, it plans to build a network infrastructure that supports large-scale node access, has a layered architecture, and can integrate multiple blockchains. This network must have strong privacy protection capabilities, efficient and reliable cross-chain interoperability, and flexible dynamic networking capabilities. The plan even proposes specific technical indicators, hoping to achieve "Petabyte-level trusted node storage" and "Ten thousand-level chain network trusted interconnection."
One Platform: Establish a universal blockchain technology service platform that integrates basic functions including trusted digital identity management, cross-chain data directory services, and standardized evidence storage services. The platform aims to lower the threshold for blockchain technology application in all walks of life, promote cross-departmental, cross-industry, and cross-regional data security, trusted sharing, and efficient collaboration, with the goal of supporting "mutual recognition of hundreds of millions of digital identities."
Application implementation: five major areas first
Unlike some countries that focus on cryptocurrency financial innovation, China's blockchain strategy has always emphasized "moving from virtual to real", focusing on technology application in serving the real economy and improving social governance capabilities. Beijing's action plan has identified five key application areas, and plans to create at least 20 "benchmark application" cases with national influence by 2027, promoting the large-scale implementation of blockchain technology from point to surface:
Healthcare: Use blockchain technology to ensure the authenticity, immutability and secure sharing of electronic medical records, genetic data, medical traceability and other data, and improve the efficiency of the trusted circulation of medical data and the level of patient privacy protection.
Education: Data such as academic certificates, credit records, and learning outcomes are stored on the chain to achieve credible verification of educational qualifications, combat academic fraud, and promote the fair distribution of educational resources and the establishment of a lifelong learning system.
Financial services: Apply blockchain in supply chain finance, trade finance, asset digitization, cross-border payments, insurance claims, digital contracts, etc. to improve the efficiency, transparency and security of financial services.
Transportation: Apply blockchain technology to achieve secure sharing and trusted interaction of traffic data (such as vehicle information, road condition data, and transportation records), support smart traffic management, optimize logistics efficiency, and improve the level of urban traffic management.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Use blockchain to provide trusted traceability and copyright protection for AI model training data, algorithm versions, and decision-making processes, enhance the transparency, explainability, and security of AI systems, combat data bias and algorithm abuse, and promote the development of “Trustworthy AI.”
In order to support the above grand application blueprint, the plan emphasizes the need to vigorously promote the construction of blockchain infrastructure:
Hardware level: Encourage the research and development of "blockchain chips" with independent intellectual property rights, including dedicated chips for accelerating cryptographic operations and consensus processes, and hardware security modules (HSM) to ensure node and data security.
Software and network level: accelerate the construction and interconnection of national blockchain backbone nodes to form a basic network with wide coverage and reliable performance; vigorously develop and apply privacy computing technologies (such as zero-knowledge proof and secure multi-party computing) to realize data value utilization while ensuring data privacy; improve cross-chain technology standards and protocols to promote interconnection between different blockchain systems.
Subtle signal: digital asset value conversion
It is worth mentioning that in the context of China's strict ban on cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, the statement in the action plan that "the value conversion capacity of digital assets will be enhanced through blockchain technology" has attracted special attention from industry insiders. This wording was interpreted by some observers as that although the official attitude towards "currency" remains firm, at the application level of "chain", it may leave room for the exploration and application of compliant and non-speculative "digital assets" (such as blockchain-based data assets, intellectual property rights, digital certificates, etc.).
Does this mean that in the future, it is possible to explore applications such as asset chain and asset tokenization (non-cryptocurrency form) in specific fields and under specific regulatory frameworks? There is no definitive answer yet, but this statement undoubtedly adds a bit of imagination to the future and also reflects the pragmatic considerations of the authorities in embracing the potential of blockchain technology.
The blockchain road with Chinese characteristics
The blockchain action plan released by Beijing once again clearly confirms China's current dual-track policy approach of "embracing blockchain technology and excluding cryptocurrency speculation". The government highly recognizes the huge potential of blockchain technology in improving data trust, optimizing business processes, promoting cross-institutional collaboration, and empowering the real economy. It has elevated it to the strategic level of national digital infrastructure and core technology, and has spared no effort to invest resources in research and development and promotion.
However, the authorities have always maintained a high-pressure stance on cryptocurrencies associated with blockchain technology, strictly preventing the financial risks, money laundering risks and challenges to monetary sovereignty that they may bring. China's blockchain development path shows obvious characteristics of "top-down", "state-led", "strong application orientation" and "emphasis on regulatory compliance", which is in sharp contrast to the relatively "bottom-up", "market-driven", "active financial innovation" and "gradual regulatory exploration" models of Western countries.
In summary, the release of the Beijing Blockchain Innovation and Application Development Action Plan is not only a regional plan for the capital, but also a manifestation of China's national will to regard blockchain/Web3 as "an irreversible trend in future network development." It indicates that China's blockchain development is accelerating from the early exploratory pilot stage to a new stage of systematic, large-scale institutional development led by the government.
Although the space for cryptocurrency in China is still limited, blockchain technology itself, as the underlying infrastructure that empowers hundreds of industries, has broad development prospects. In the next few years, we are expected to see more innovative applications come to fruition, and blockchain will be more deeply integrated into the operation of the economy and society. Whether the exploration of "digital asset value conversion" will open up new possibilities under the premise of compliance will be a focus worthy of continued attention. In any case, China is firmly on the blockchain road to building a digital power in its own unique way.