New policy targets streamlining commerce

China has rolled out a landmark policy package aimed at making the entire commercial chain smarter, greener and more integrated, in a bid to turn technological innovation into a driving force for a strong domestic market and high-quality trade development.

The plan was jointly formulated by the Ministry of Commerce and relevant departments such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Yuan Xiaoming, assistant minister of commerce, said at a news conference in Beijing on Monday that the policy is the first comprehensive document themed on "invigorating commerce through science and technology," highlighting three features: "new", "comprehensive" and "practical".

Yuan said that commerce is a vital link between production and consumption. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence, big data, embodied intelligence and digital twins are reshaping how commerce is organized and operated, and is improving consumer experiences.

Technology can boost the supply of goods and services and their quality, enrich consumption scenarios and improve circulation efficiency while lowering logistics costs, he said.

The document follows four main lines: using technology to improve goods consumption through flexible manufacturing and personalized customization; expanding services consumption in areas such as housekeeping, catering, culture, tourism and sports; streamlining trade circulation by accelerating smart supply chains and upgrading wholesale, retail and e-commerce; and shaping future commercial scenarios that are intelligent, green and integrated.

The plan calls for accelerating the market application of frontier technologies such as brain-computer interfaces and embodied intelligence, including in home services and trade logistics, and fostering new business forms such as intelligent shopping guides and smart operations.

At the same time, it sets governance boundaries, including tiered oversight of commercial AI agents, a negative list for commercial data applications and promotion of national standards on AI terminal intelligence grading, emphasizing "technology for good".

The policy also seeks to extend technological benefits to county-level regions, support AI startups with inclusive computing power and improve the environment in six areas: standards, infrastructure, safety regulation, research and development transformation, talent and fiscal finance, Yuan said.

Wei Wei, director of MIIT's science and technology department, said AI products and services are spreading rapidly. Since a special action plan on "AI plus manufacturing" was issued late last year, more than 1,000 high-value application scenarios have been identified across 20 sectors.

Wei said the ministry has been consolidating the industrial foundation for AI. Under a "model-data synergy" initiative focused on 20 key industrial fields, more than 500 high-quality datasets have been built and over 100 industrial AI agents promoted. More than 100 national and industry standards have been formulated, and China has led the drafting of more than 70 international standards. An AI agent interconnection protocol has been released and is being rolled out.

The ministry is also accelerating innovation in AI terminal products. A national standards system for grading the intelligence of AI terminals has been established, with standards already issued for seven product categories including smartphones, computers, TVs and glasses. More than 100 products now meet the requirements for the AI assistant level, capable of understanding user intent and proactively providing services. In the first half of this year, shipments of various intelligent terminals exceeded 100 million units.

Lenovo China President Liu Jun said the company sold nearly 2.6 million AI personal computers over the past year, driving its domestic PC sales share by a record 42.1 percent.