BEIJING: China National Data Group Co, a newly centrally administered State-owned enterprise, was officially inaugurated on Tuesday in the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei province, in a move aimed at accelerating the development and utilization of data resources and supporting the country’s artificial intelligence ambitions. With its headquarters in Xiong’an, the group will specialize in developing and utilizing data resources, unlocking their economic value, supporting AI development and fostering a more vibrant data industry. Its establishment brings the total number of SOEs directly administered by the central government to 100. Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang attended the inauguration ceremony and unveiled the plaque for the new company.
Ding said the establishment of the company was a major strategic decision made by the Communist Party of China Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and will help China seize opportunities in AI development, accelerate the building of a digital China and forge new competitive advantages. He called for efforts to build the company into a world-class data technology enterprise.
Ding urged the group to balance development and security, expand data-related services, accelerate the construction of data infrastructure and make breakthroughs in key and core technologies.
He also stressed the need to improve corporate governance, establish sound operational and management mechanisms, and strengthen cooperation among government departments, local authorities and enterprises to support the development of the data industry.
The new company is jointly funded and established by the State Council, the Xiong’an New Area Administrative Committee, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile, State Grid Corp of China and China Southern Power Grid.
Jian Qin, former general manager of China Unicom, is chairman of the group, while Chen Ronghui, former deputy head of the National Data Administration, has been appointed general manager.
According to the company, it is positioned as a national team for data services, a leader in data infrastructure connectivity and a strategic force for national data science and technology innovation.
Under the guidance of relevant government departments, it will strengthen coordination between central and local authorities and deepen cooperation across the data industry, promote the sharing of resources and expertise and the joint development of business opportunities. Zhang Xianghong, a member of the national data expert advisory committee, said the new group will develop, integrate and operate national-level data resources through market-oriented and professional mechanisms.
“The group will promote the cross-industry and cross-regional flow and sharing of data resources, significantly improve the efficiency of data allocation and break down ‘data silos’,” Zhang said, adding that it would help accelerate the construction of a unified national data market.
The establishment of the company is a pioneering move globally that will strengthen China’s competitiveness in data resources, he added.
The nation has been seeking to make data held by government departments, companies and industries easier to share and use, while maintaining control over security and privacy. The push has gained urgency as the rapid development of generative AI increases demand for large volumes of high-quality data.
China established the National Data Administration in 2023. Zhang said the administration and the new group will play distinct roles, with the regulator focusing on basic data rules and policy design and the company concentrating on the development and market-oriented operation of data resources.
He said the changes will help improve the connectivity of data infrastructure, lower barriers so that more market participants have access to high-value data resources, and foster data innovation hubs, bringing together technology, industries and talent. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
