China chooses blockchain project pilot areas and application areas

BEIJING, Jan 30 (Reuters) – China has selected 15 pilot zones and identified several application areas to “carry out innovative applications of blockchain technology,” according to a joint government statement on Sunday. .

The pilot areas include Beijing and Shanghai, the major Chinese cities, as well as Guangzhou and Chengdu in southern Guangdong and Sichuan province, according to a statement on the official WeChat social media account of the Cyberspace Administration of China.

In addition to the pilot area, 164 hospitals, universities and enterprises including SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co., Ltd., China National Offshore Oil Corporation, Beijing Gas Group Co., Ltd., and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Co., Ltd. were selected for the pilot program. Blockchain pilot project.

The entities will carry out projects in the fields of manufacturing, energy, government and tax services, law, education, health, trade and finance, and cross-border finance.

“Regional cybersecurity and informatization departments and relevant industry regulators should … give full play to the role of blockchain in promoting data sharing, optimizing business processes, reducing operating costs, and improving collaboration efficiency, and build a trusted system,” the statement said.

In October 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that the country should accelerate the development of technologies with blockchain technology at the core of innovation.

While China is promoting blockchain technology, it has banned bitcoin based on the technology. Regulators cracked down on cryptocurrencies in September with a blanket ban on all cryptocurrency trading and mining.read more

According to a statement from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the statement was jointly issued by 16 government departments including the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Central Bank, the National Energy Administration, and the China Securities Regulatory Commission.

Emily Weeks reports.Edited by Gerry Doyle

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