Public data potential set to be unleashed

China's latest push to accelerate the development and utilization of public data resources is expected to fully unleash the potential of public data elements, help cultivate new competitive advantages and inject fresh impetus into high-quality economic growth, officials and experts said.

Their comments came following a guideline released jointly by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council on Wednesday.

The country will take steps to expand the supply of public data resources and promote the opening of public data in an orderly manner, while encouraging and exploring the authorization and operation of public data, according to the guideline.

The guideline focuses on removing institutional barriers that affect the development and utilization of data resources, and serves as a significant link in building the basic systems for data, said Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration, at a news conference in Beijing on Thursday.

Liu emphasized that it will give full play to the role of data in empowering the real economy, expanding consumer demand and investment space, as well as improving governance capacity.

Meanwhile, the guideline is conducive to bolstering the utilization of public data resources, facilitating the development of a digital economy and giving a strong boost to the data industry, Liu added.

He said the administration will soon roll out supportive documents regarding the registration, authorization, operation and pricing mechanism of public data resources.

Looking ahead, more efforts will be made to deepen reforms related to the market-oriented allocation of data elements and improve the basic systems for data, Liu said.

By 2025, the system and rules for the development and utilization of public data resources will be initially established, the supply quantity and quality of data resources will be significantly improved, and a number of data elements enterprises will be cultivated, according to the guideline.

By 2030, a comprehensive system for the development and utilization of public data resources will be set up, with compliant and efficient data circulation and use. The guideline also encourages innovative application to promote the healthy development of the data industry.

"The launch of the guideline marks an important step in propelling the development and utilization of public data resources in China," said Zhu Keli, founding director of the China Institute of New Economy.

The move, Zhu said, will help improve the supply scale and quality of data, enrich data products and services, and promote the efficient utilization of public data resources in key industries and regions.

Zhu noted that the country's accelerated layout in the data element market will provide solid support for the sustainable and healthy development of the digital economy, generate new business forms, models and services that are based on data, create more job opportunities and inject new momentum into economic growth.

Statistics from the National Data Administration showed that China's total data output reached 32.85 zettabytes in 2023, up 22.4 percent year-on-year, while the added value of core digital economy industries accounted for 10 percent of GDP.

Ouyang Rihui, assistant dean of the China Center for Internet Economy Research at the Central University of Finance and Economics, said unleashing the value of public data resources is conducive to propelling the digital transformation and high-quality development, as well as speeding up the establishment of a national unified data elements market.