China orders creation of national blockchain network

China Unveils National Blockchain Network for State-Backed Data Infrastructure

Background

China's top leadership has ordered the construction of a national blockchain network as part of a broader push to integrate the real and digital economies. The initiative, backed by 16 central government departments and 27 state-owned enterprises, aims to build a network that already exists, with a focus on data pipes, computing grids, and regulated markets. Cryptocurrencies are explicitly excluded from the project.

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.' The document lays out 19 measures, with a national blockchain network and a nationwide integrated computing power network as two of the headline goals. The stated purpose is to tighten the link between the real economy and the digital one.

Optimizing National Data Infrastructure

The initiative directly involves 16 central government departments and 27 centrally administered state-owned enterprises. Built on a network that already exists, China is not starting from scratch. The new directive builds on the Blockchain-based Service Network, or BSN, which has operated since April 2020. BSN is a state-governed network designed for compliant enterprises, explicitly prohibiting tokens and crypto assets.

What This Means for Crypto, Companies, and Data

For the crypto market, the message is consistent with what Beijing has signaled for years. Blockchain technology gets a seat at the table. Cryptocurrencies do not. The research suggests this could mean consolidation of existing assets under state frameworks rather than openings for new tokenized ventures. The data-as-an-asset angle deserves attention beyond China's borders. If Beijing successfully pilots regulated markets for data, it creates a template in which information is owned and traded under tight state oversight.

Key Things to Track

Key things to track from here: how the 16 departments translate the 19 measures into concrete projects, which state-owned enterprises move first, and how the data trading pilots are structured.