China is conducting statewide blockchain development trials based on real-world use cases.

Manufacturing, energy, government data sharing and services, law enforcement, taxation, criminal trials, inspection, and cross-border finance are some of the key areas of blockchain development.

The Chinese Cyberspace Administration (CAC) has announced the launch of an internal initiative to accelerate blockchain research and innovation across 15 zones and 164 companies.

The effort intends to adopt blockchain technology on a wide scale across Chinese enterprises and government entities.

The CAC, in collaboration with other government agencies, directed regulatory authorities to promote the intensive and balanced layout of blockchain technology infrastructure in the region, form a large-scale production-level cross-chain data exchange support capability, and promote the formation of a multi-party collaborative blockchain industry ecology.

The notice also included a list of cities, companies, and other entities that will be directly involved in the blockchain pilots, as determined by local and departmental recommendations.

Manufacturing, energy, government data sharing and services, law enforcement, taxation, criminal trials, inspection, copyright, civil affairs, human society, education, healthcare, trade finance, risk control management, equity market, and cross-border finance are among the key areas of blockchain development.

The circular also emphasises the importance of regulatory departments coordinating the advancement and promotion of pilot projects and fully exploiting the role of blockchain in promoting data sharing, optimising business processes, lowering operating costs, improving collaborative efficiency, and building a trusted system.

Despite its strong opposition to crypto adoption, the Chinese government remains interested in related ecosystems such as blockchain and nonfungible tokens (NFT).

Recently, the Blockchain-based Service Network (BSN), a Chinese government-backed blockchain initiative, was apparently working on an infrastructure to assist enterprises and people in developing NFT-focused platforms and apps.