China has unveiled a new guideline to boost commerce by leveraging science and technology to upgrade consumer goods, expand services consumption, improve the efficiency of commercial circulation and drive innovation in integrated consumption scenarios.
The guideline, jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce and eight other government agencies and published on Monday, calls for wider use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, blockchain, digital twins and embodied intelligence across the commercial sector.
The guideline calls for deeper integration of AI into manufacturing, covering product research and development, design, production and marketing. It also encourages the use of a wider range of smart products, including smartphones, computers, smart home devices, wearable technology and robots.
The guideline also supports the research, development and application of smart products based on secure and reliable open-source operating systems.
It also seeks to build a stronger portfolio of Chinese consumer brands by supporting products that stand out for independent innovation and premium quality.
Sci-tech is also expected to play a greater role in agriculture – the guideline encourages the development of technology-driven agriculture to improve the quality and efficiency of specialty agricultural products.
For China's time-honored brands, the focus is on preserving their heritage while embracing innovation.
China rolls out measures to promote sci-tech driven commerce
