China vows to foster new forms of smart economy for industrial upgrades

China

China vows to foster new forms of smart economy for industrial upgrades

2026-07-31 11:36 Last Updated At：15:07

China will further advance the artificial intelligence (AI) sector and foster new forms for the smart economy to push for industrial upgrades, said officials on China's economic work in the second half of this year.

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee analyzed and studied the current economic situation and made arrangements for economic work in the second half of this year at a meeting held in Beijing on Thursday.

The meeting called for efforts to deeply implement the AI Plus initiative, foster new forms for the smart economy, and improve the governance system for artificial intelligence.

According to the meeting, efforts will be made to achieve breakthroughs in frontier technologies and promote the development of future industries, build emerging pillar industries, and continuously push the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.

Officials from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, said the emphasis on smart economy, which reflects an upgraded approach to AI advancement, will help build new advantages for China's economic development.

"This year's Government Work Report for the first time proposed creating new forms of smart economy. The latest meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee again emphasized the need to foster new forms for the smart economy. The smart economy is increasingly becoming a very important vehicle for developing new quality productive forces," said Sun Xuegong, director of the Decision Advisory Department of the Academy of Macroeconomic Research of the NDRC.

"AI is no longer merely an enabling tool, but a systemic force that is reshaping the way the economy operates. At the same time, the requirement of 'improving the governance system for artificial intelligence' reflects a governance approach that places equal emphasis on development and regulation, and seeks synergy between innovation and security," said Sheng Lei, deputy director of the State Information Center of the NDRC.

Russia, Ukraine confirm trilateral talks with U.S. in Abu Dhabi on Nov 10-11

Russia, the United States, and Ukraine will hold trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, on Nov. 10-11 to discuss key security and peace issues, Moscow and Kiev confirmed Tuesday.

The trilateral talks will focus on security and security guarantee-related issues, according to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who pointed out that one nation's security cannot be achieved at the expense of another's.

Peskov ruled out the possibility of Europe taking part in the upcoming talks in Abu Dhabi as a trilateral format was originally agreed. However, he said that Russia will eventually have a dialogue with European nations regarding Europe's future security architecture, once it is clarified who holds the authority to negotiate on behalf of Europe.

On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky outlined Kiev's key priorities for the trilateral talks, saying that Ukraine is interested in ceasefire in energy and key infrastructure, resumption of grain export via the Black Sea, and the acceleration of exchanges of prisoners.

He also said that the Untied States is willing to discuss security guarantees and post-war reconstruction for Ukraine.

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said on Monday that the U.S. will mediate working-level negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi to help end the conflict.

During a meeting with Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Oct 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to resume the trilateral talks in mid-November to discuss a security architecture for both Russia and Ukraine after the conflict.