China is placing artificial intelligence (AI) at the center of its long-term development strategy, with the national “AI Plus” initiative becoming a defining feature of the country’s next stage of modernization, according to Xinhua.
In China, the world’s second-largest economy, the key question surrounding AI is not whether it will expand, but how it will shape the nation’s economic and social trajectory.
Introduced in the 2024 government work report, “AI Plus” has since gained momentum, and its full-scale advancement is now written into the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee’s recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), underscoring its strategic significance.
What “AI Plus” Means?
As paraphrased from Xinhua, the initiative seeks to integrate AI deeply and broadly across all sectors of China’s economy and society.
It envisions AI transforming production models, everyday life, scientific research, and governance.
The CPC’s recommendations call for using AI to reshape research methods, support industrial upgrading, improve cultural and social services, and strengthen China’s competitiveness in applied AI.
These measures are intended to create an intelligent economy defined by human–machine collaboration, cross-sector innovation, and the large-scale deployment of AI technologies.
Why It Matters for China?
According to explanations cited by Xinhua, AI is a foundational technology of the new global technological revolution.
While China is among the world’s leading AI nations, it still faces gaps in basic research and key core technologies.
The “AI Plus” initiative is designed to leverage China’s advantages, including its vast market, comprehensive industrial chain, and abundant real-world applications, to accelerate advancements through practical, scenario-driven innovation.
As AI shifts from research labs into manufacturing, public services, and daily life, global competition is intensifying.
Countries are racing to advance autonomous driving, humanoid robotics, and brain–machine interface technologies.
To maintain its competitive edge, China aims to lead in applied AI, fuel new industries, and achieve widespread commercial adoption of AI solutions.
The Road Ahead
China has outlined a phased plan for the initiative: By 2027: Deep AI integration across six major sectors; rapid expansion of intelligent-economy industries; increased use of AI in governance. By 2030: AI becomes a central force in high-quality development; broader public access to AI technologies. By 2035: China enters a fully intelligent economic and social stage, supporting the realization of socialist modernization.
China’s current progress provides a strong foundation.
As Xinhua reports, the country holds roughly 60% of global AI patents, leads the world in practical AI applications, and has developed more than 100 benchmark use-case scenarios.
Yu Youcheng, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence, told Xinhua that China’s advances will drive scientific innovation to new heights.
Over the next five years, he said, scenario-driven innovation will better connect research with industry and accelerate the joint development of technological breakthroughs and industrial applications.
With the comprehensive rollout of “AI Plus,” China is expected to further speed up its innovation capacity and strengthen its path toward becoming a global technological powerhouse, Yu added.
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