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China plans to complete a nationwide blockchain network by 2030, according to a plan published by the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission on October 23, 2026. The plan is part of the 15th Five-Year Plan for informatization, and Beijing’s ban on cryptocurrency trading remains in place.
The Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, a Chinese Communist Party body responsible for coordinating cybersecurity and informatization policies, has identified blockchain as a key technology in the country’s latest digital development roadmap.
According to the commission’s published plan, China expects its information infrastructure to undergo substantial changes by the end of the decade. The proposed National blockchain network is intended to form part of this wider transformation, alongside improvements in communications infrastructure and the commercialization of 6G technology.
Rather than treating blockchain as an isolated innovation, the strategy places it within a broader framework for connecting technological research, industrial applications and digital public services. This approach could support systems that allow organizations to record, verify and share information through blockchain-based infrastructure.
The roadmap also emphasizes legal and regulatory support. Chinese authorities intend to strengthen the standards governing blockchain applications domestically while pursuing greater international recognition for those standards.
Such measures could help establish common technical requirements for organizations adopting blockchain systems across different sectors. However, the published roadmap does not establish that every proposed application will be deployed nationwide by 2030, nor does it provide a detailed implementation schedule for individual services.
The National blockchain network therefore represents a long-term infrastructure objective, with its practical impact likely to depend on the development of technical standards, institutional coordination and sector-specific applications.
Blockchain is one of several technology sectors receiving attention under the informatization strategy. The plan identifies integrated circuits, display technology, artificial intelligence and next-generation mobile communications as other priorities.
The combination reflects China’s effort to develop the technological foundations needed for an increasingly connected economy. While semiconductors provide essential computing capabilities and 6G could support future communications infrastructure, blockchain offers a method for maintaining shared digital records across participating organizations.
Within this framework, the National blockchain network could provide infrastructure for applications requiring verifiable records and coordinated information exchange. Potential uses include supply-chain documentation, business transactions, government administration and financial services, although the plan does not confirm that every proposed use case will become part of the final system.
The initiative also builds on earlier Chinese blockchain development programmes. In 2022, the country designated 15 pilot zones and 164 entities for blockchain projects covering areas such as manufacturing, energy, government services, taxation, law, education, healthcare, trade and finance.
Those programmes provided a foundation for exploring how blockchain could be applied to different economic and administrative activities. The latest strategy signals an ambition to move beyond individual projects towards a more coordinated national infrastructure.
The National blockchain network could consequently become a mechanism for connecting some of these applications, depending on how authorities design the system and integrate existing platforms.
The government’s emphasis on standards is particularly relevant to this transition. Without compatible technical frameworks, blockchain applications developed by separate institutions may struggle to exchange information or operate together effectively.
Establishing common standards could improve interoperability, but the effectiveness of such a system would also depend on governance arrangements, cybersecurity safeguards and the quality of the underlying infrastructure.
China’s blockchain ambitions operate alongside its restrictive stance towards cryptocurrency-related activities. The distinction is important because blockchain technology can support digital records and institutional systems without requiring the public trading of decentralised cryptocurrencies.
The People’s Bank of China has previously highlighted blockchain’s potential for financial administration. According to the supplied report, the central bank has identified its relevance to “achieve one-stop online processing of cross-border electronic tax payment business.”
The statement illustrates how Chinese authorities are examining blockchain for specific administrative and financial purposes even as restrictions on cryptocurrency markets remain in place.
Under this approach, the National blockchain network could support controlled applications in which participating institutions use shared digital infrastructure to manage information, verify records or coordinate transactions. Such applications would not necessarily involve publicly traded tokens or permissionless cryptocurrency networks.
The distinction also helps explain why blockchain remains part of China’s technology development agenda despite its cryptocurrency restrictions. Policymakers can pursue the potential efficiency and recordkeeping benefits of distributed systems while maintaining regulatory control over financial activities.
Nevertheless, the extent to which blockchain-based systems will transform government and financial services remains uncertain. The published strategy establishes a policy direction rather than evidence that a fully integrated network is already operational.
If implemented as intended, the National blockchain network could support a wider range of applications involving digital finance, property-rights records and identity-related registries. These remain potential applications rather than confirmed components of a completed nationwide system.
A shared infrastructure could help participating organizations verify information and maintain consistent records. In finance, blockchain applications might support transaction documentation and administrative processes. In government, they could provide tools for managing records across departments, while industrial users might apply the technology to supply chains and commercial exchanges.
Cross-border services are another area of interest. The People’s Bank of China’s earlier comments on electronic tax payments indicate that authorities are considering ways to use digital technologies to simplify certain international administrative processes.
However, deploying such systems at national scale would require more than the underlying blockchain technology. Data protection, cybersecurity, access controls, institutional accountability and compatibility with existing databases would all influence how the infrastructure operates.
The government’s intention to develop legal support and technical standards suggests that regulatory and institutional arrangements will form part of the wider implementation effort.
The National blockchain network could therefore become an important element of China’s digital modernization programme if authorities successfully coordinate the technology with existing systems and establish workable standards for its use.
For now, 2030 remains the stated target for completing the network. The coming years will show how the government translates its policy commitments into operational infrastructure, which sectors receive priority and how broadly blockchain applications are integrated into China’s economy.
The plan ultimately reflects a strategic distinction: Beijing is pursuing blockchain as a technology for economic and administrative modernization while maintaining a separate, restrictive approach to cryptocurrency trading. Whether the initiative delivers a genuinely integrated national system will depend on implementation, adoption and the ability of different institutions to work within a common technical framework.
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