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Analysis of the state plan of the State Council of China for the development of AI until 2035 (Plan AI+)

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Introduction

On August 26, 2025, the State Council of the People's Republic of China published a large—scale document, "Opinions on the deep implementation of the Artificial Intelligence+ action." This is not just another declaration of intent, but a detailed roadmap for the transformation of the entire Chinese economy and society based on artificial intelligence. The document sets ambitious goals for the next decade and lays the foundation for China's transformation into a global leader in the smart economy by 2035.​

The philosophy of AI+: from digitalization to intellectualization

The plan represents an evolutionary leap away from the "Internet+" concept that has dominated Chinese politics for the past decade. While Internet+ focused on connectivity and digitization, AI+ aims to deeply integrate artificial intelligence into all areas of life, from scientific research to everyday life.​

The key idea of the document is the formation of a new formation of the "smart economy and smart society" based on three principles: human-machine cooperation, intersectoral integration and joint value creation. This means moving from a model where technology adapts to humans to a model of symbiosis, where AI becomes a natural extension of human abilities.​

Three-stage roadmap: 2027, 2030 and 2035

The state plan is clearly structured over time horizons, which allows you to track progress and adjust the trajectory.​

Stage 1: By 2027 — foundation and acceleration

The first milestone is aimed at creating a critical mass of AI adoption. By 2027, it is planned to:​

  • Achieve more than 70% penetration of AI terminals and AI agents among the public and businesses

  • Ensure deep integration of AI with six key areas (science and technology, industry, consumption, social sphere, management, international cooperation)

  • Achieve rapid growth of the basic sectors of the smart economy

  • Significantly strengthen the role of AI in public administration

This stage solves the problem of consolidating the foundations and eliminating bottlenecks. In two years, China intends to create an infrastructure and ecosystem that will allow the transition to the mass application of AI solutions.​

Stage 2: By 2030 — Scaling and leadership

The average perspective assumes exponential growth:​

  • Increase the penetration of intelligent solutions by up to 90%+

  • Turning the smart economy into the most important engine of the country's economic growth

  • Achieving technological universalization — ensuring access to advanced AI technologies for all segments of society

  • Formation of a full-fledged ecosystem for sharing the results of AI developments

By 2030, China expects to create a transformation mechanism "from pressure to opportunity, from opportunity to strength," allowing it to compete on an equal footing with the United States and gain advantages in certain niches of the global AI market.​

Stage 3: By 2035, a new stage of development

The long—term goal is as ambitious as possible - a full-fledged entry into the era of a smart economy and a smart society. By this point, AI should become so integrated into the fabric of Chinese society that it will provide "powerful support for the basic implementation of socialist modernization."​

This formulation means that artificial intelligence is considered not just as a technology, but as a tool for achieving national strategic goals, from increasing labor productivity to strengthening China's international position.

The six pillars of the AI+ strategy

The document defines six key areas of AI implementation, each of which receives specific tasks and implementation mechanisms.​

1. "AI + Science and Technology"

This direction is aimed at using AI to accelerate scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs. Key measures include:​

  • Development of basic models: improvement of theoretical foundations, improvement of learning and inference efficiency, creation of a model evaluation system

  • Application of AI for scientific research: integration of philosophical and social methodologies into "scientific intelligence", use of AI for modeling complex processes, discovery of new materials and medicines

  • Creating AI Science Accelerators: platforms that automate routine research tasks and allow scientists to focus on creative aspects

For the first time in Chinese politics, scientific intelligence (AI4Science) has been given priority status, reflecting an understanding of the transformational potential of AI for basic science.​

2. "AI + Industrial Development"

Here we are talking about the comprehensive intellectualization of all three sectors of the economy.​

Industry:

  • Implementation of AI at all stages — from design and pilot production to operation and maintenance

  • Creation of "smart factories" with autonomous production lines

  • Development of the industrial Internet of Things based on AI analytics

Agricultural industry:

  • Mass deployment of smart agricultural machinery — robots, drones, automated harvesters​

  • Precision farming systems with AI yield forecasting and resource optimization

  • Digital transformation of the entire production chain — from seeding to logistics

The service sector:

  • The transition from "digital amplification" to "intelligent control"​

  • Development of personalized AI assistants for education, healthcare, finance

  • Creating new business models based on AI-as-a-Service

China emphasizes that all three sectors should be transformed synchronously, creating a mutually reinforcing effect.​

3. "AI + Improving the quality of consumption"

This block focuses on creating new consumer products and experiences.

  • Next-generation smart terminals: smartphones, cars, household appliances with integrated AI and multimodal interaction capabilities

  • AI agents: software entities capable of understanding the context, planning actions, and solving user tasks on their own​

  • New consumption formats: smart homes, autonomous transportation, personalized entertainment and cultural services

The document highlights the importance of creating a "better, better life" through AI, which means not only convenience, but also an emotional connection between users and smart systems.​

4. "AI + Social Well-being"

One of the most socially oriented sections of the plan is aimed at using AI to solve social problems.​

Education:

  • Personalized learning systems that adapt content to each student's abilities.​

  • VR/AR technologies for immersive learning

  • AI assistants for teachers that automate the review of papers and the preparation of materials

Healthcare:

  • AI diagnostic systems to support doctors in remote regions​

  • Smart medical robots for patient care

  • Telemedicine platforms with AI consultants

  • Accelerated drug development using AI modeling

Employment and career:

  • Creation of new jobs in the fields of AI development, data management, and ethical auditing.​

  • Platforms for retraining and learning new professions

  • AI simulators for practical preparation for complex specialties

Caring for the elderly:

  • Smart devices for health monitoring​

  • Companion robots for social interaction

  • Emergency response systems with AI analytics

The key principle is to ensure equal access to the benefits of AI for all social groups, including the most vulnerable.​

5. "AI + Management Abilities"

This section is dedicated to the transformation of public administration through AI.​

  • Smart cities: integrated management systems for transport, energy, and security​

  • Predictive analytics: AI systems for predicting social problems and optimizing government decisions​

  • Digital public services: automated application approval processes, intelligent consultants for citizens​

  • Public safety: emergency early warning systems, smart disaster resource management​

China is striving to create a "government that thinks" — capable of making decisions based on data, not just the experience of officials.​

6. "AI + Global Cooperation"

For the first time in the Chinese strategy, the international dimension of AI is highlighted in a separate direction.​

  • Support for the creation of AI governance mechanisms within the UN: China actively advocates the formation of an Independent International Scientific Group on AI and a Global Dialogue on AI Governance​

  • The AI+ International Cooperation Initiative: assistance to developing countries in building AI infrastructure, sharing data and models​

  • The principle of inclusivity: Unlike the United States, China emphasizes the need for all countries to participate in shaping the rules of the AI game in order to avoid deepening the digital divide.​

This position reflects China's desire for soft power in the field of AI — the creation of an alternative ecosystem attractive to the countries of the global South.

Eight basic pillars of the system

To implement the six directions, the document defines eight fundamental pillars of infrastructure and ecosystem.​

1. Basic models and algorithms

  • Development of advanced machine learning theories

  • Creating effective learning and model inference systems

  • Formation of a standardized model evaluation system​

2. High-quality data

  • Creating industry-specific datasets for AI training

  • Copyright and intellectual property reform to promote data exchange​

  • New mechanisms to stimulate data discovery​

China recognizes that data is its weak link in competition with the United States. While the United States has a well-developed ecosystem of open data (about 300,000 datasets on government platforms), in China, more than 70% of valuable data is in the hands of the state and poorly structured for AI training.​

3. Computing power

  • Development of chips and clusters for AI computing​

  • Improving the national computing network

  • Standardization of cloud services

  • Ensuring an inclusive, efficient, green and secure supply of computing resources​

The Eastern Data — Western Computing strategy is aimed at optimizing the geographical distribution of data centers by placing energy—intensive computing centers in western regions with an abundance of green energy.​

4. The ecosystem of applications

  • Development of AI-as-a-service platforms

  • Creating testing grounds for new solutions

  • Developing new standards for AI applications​

5. The Open Source ecosystem

This point is particularly noteworthy:​

  • Support for open source software development communities

  • Taking into account the contribution to open source when evaluating students and researchers

  • Stimulating new approaches to application development

  • Creating globally influential ecosystems

Recognizing the role of open source at the level of public policy is a strong signal of China's intentions to build a more open and inclusive AI ecosystem.

6. Personnel and education

  • Mass training of AI specialists

  • Integrating AI literacy into school and university curricula

  • Attracting international talent​

7. Legal and ethical framework

  • Development of legislation on the safe development of AI​

  • Creating ethical standards​

  • Formation of mechanisms of responsibility for the actions of AI systems​

China already has "New Generation AI Ethical Standards" (2021) and "Interim Measures for Managing Generative AI Services" (2023), which puts it at the forefront of regulating this field.​

8. Political and financial support

  • Tax benefits for AI companies

  • State financing of promising developments

  • Creating a favorable business environment for startups

China's Unique Advantages

The document is based on three competitive advantages of China, which distinguish it from the United States and Europe.​

1. The wealth of data and its scale

China generates more than 41 zettabytes of data per year (2024), which is 25% more than in the previous year. This is the largest volume among all countries. Key factors:​

  • Huge population (1.4 billion people)

  • High degree of digitalization of daily life

  • The largest Internet platforms (Alibaba, Tencent, Bytedance)

However, the problem is the quality of the data structuring. The share of structured data in China is growing faster (36% per year), but still accounts for only 18.7% of the total.​

2. Complete industrial system

China is the only country in the world with all 41 categories of industry according to the UN classification. This creates a unique variety of AI application scenarios, from traditional metallurgy to the production of electric vehicles.​

This completeness of the industrial system means that Chinese AI developers have access to real industrial data and can test solutions in conditions inaccessible to competitors from other countries.​

3. Breadth and depth of application

83% of Chinese believe that AI will do more good than harm — in the United States, this figure is only 39%. This level of trust and commitment to implementation creates an ideal environment for mass testing and iteration of AI solutions.​

In addition, China leads in the number of companies actively using AI — 50% compared to 33% in the United States. The public sector is also active, with more than 540 billion AI service calls made through the national data exchange platform.​

Comparative analysis: China vs USA vs Europe

China

Strengths​

  • Leadership in the number of scientific publications on AI (12,450 in 2023)

  • Dominance in patents (4 times more than in the USA)

  • Rapid growth in the number of top-tier researchers (47% of the world's elite AI specialists studied in China)

  • A huge market and a variety of application scenarios

  • Advanced deployment of autonomous transport (900 million rides on Baidu's robotaxis versus 500 million for Waymo in the USA)​

Weaknesses​

  • Lagging behind in fundamental theories (Transformer, Diffusion, RLHF — all created in the USA)​

  • The lack of high-quality structured Chinese-language datasets​

  • Dependence on Western chips (US sanctions restrict access to advanced GPUs)​

  • Lower density of top-level scientists per capita​

USA

Strengths​

  • Leadership in theoretical breakthroughs and basic architectures

  • Dominance in the production of high-performance chips (NVIDIA, AMD)

  • The most powerful research universities and corporate laboratories

  • A culture of open innovation and venture capital

  • Huge resources of tech giants (OpenAI, Google, Meta)

Weaknesses

  • Lower willingness of the population to implement AI (lower trust)​

  • Market fragmentation and regulatory barriers between states

  • Less government coordination compared to China

Europe

Strengths​

  • Strong research institutes (32 leading centers)

  • Emphasis on ethics and human rights in AI

  • Pioneering Regulation (AI Act)

Weaknesses​

  • The absence of large technology platforms at the level of Chinese or American

  • A small number of unicorns in the field of AI

  • Market fragmentation and language barrier

Conclusion

China and the United States dominate the first echelon, but with different advantages — the United States is stronger in theory and hardware, China is stronger in scale of application and government coordination.

Possible challenges and risks

Despite the ambitious nature of the plan, experts identify a number of potential difficulties.

1. The problem of data quality

Although China has huge amounts of data, much of it is in the hands of the state and is not structured enough to train AI. The gap between the number of English and Chinese open-source datasets remains critical — Chinese datasets account for only 11% of English ones.​

2. Technological dependence

The US sanctions on the export of advanced chips create serious obstacles. Although Chinese companies (Huawei Ascend, Moore Threads) are creating alternatives, they have not yet reached the NVIDIA A100/H100 level.​

3. The balance between innovation and control

Strict regulation of content and algorithms can slow down innovation. China needs to find a balance between ensuring safety and encouraging experimentation.​

4. International isolation

Increased technological competition with the West may limit access to cutting-edge developments and talent.

Conclusion: a new development paradigm

China's AI development plan until 2035 is not just a strategic document, but a manifesto of a new modernization model. Unlike the classical Western approach, which focuses on market competition and breakthrough innovations of individual companies, the Chinese model relies on government coordination, mass application and social orientation.​

Key features of the Chinese approach:

  1. Synchronicity of transformation is the simultaneous change of all sectors of the economy, rather than point breakthroughs.

  2. Social inclusion is an emphasis on the accessibility of AI for all segments of the population, including the elderly and vulnerable groups.​

  3. Global Responsibility — positioning as a leader in inclusive AI governance through UN mechanisms​

  4. Practicality is the priority of mass application over fundamental breakthroughs (DeepSeek strategy has shown that it is possible to achieve results with lower costs)​

By 2035, China expects not only to catch up, but also to surpass the West in some aspects by creating its own ecosystem of AI technologies, standards and applications. The success of this plan depends on China's ability to overcome current bottlenecks in chips, basic research, and international cooperation. But one thing is clear: the battle for the AI future will determine the geopolitical landscape of the next decades, and China is playing for the long haul.

P.S. about the connection between the AI+ plan and strategy 1397

Earlier we wrote about the Chinese strategy of 1397. It is important to note that these two documents (the AI+ plan and strategy 1397) do not contradict each other, let's look at this issue in more detail.

AI+ is the national strategy of the People's Republic of China until 2035, which sets the "what" and "why" through six application domains and eight system pillars for the transformation of the economy, society and public administration. 1397 is a subordinate operational framework responsible for the "how" and "what": a focus on intelligent computing, data infrastructure, basic models, and organizational mechanisms that transform AI+ goals into achievable programs.​

The framework has in common a reliance on computing power, high—quality data, basic models, training, and legal/ethical regulation, as well as a combination of AI4Science with industrial intellectualization and mass adoption in key industries and services. The international circuit is present in both: "AI+" involves China's participation in shaping global AI governance, while "1397" combines technological self-sufficiency with open cooperation in large scientific projects.​

As a result, in terms of hierarchy and implementation, AI+ sets milestones for 2027/2030/2035 and requirements for six domains, while 1397 provides implementation through a national distributed computing system, open data hubs, management models and short chains of transfer to the industry. In other words, AI+ determines strategic results, while 1397 acts as a technological and organizational "engine" for achieving them at the program and project level.

List of sources

Official documents of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

Official explanations and analysis

Expert analysis and comments

Social sphere and well-being of citizens

Governance and smart cities

International cooperation and governance

China's advantages and comparative analysis

New quality of productive forces and economy

Legal regulation and ethics

Intelligent terminals and agents

  • CITEXPO (2025). "新一代智能终端——开启万物智联、协同智慧新纪元（附报告）" [New generation intelligent terminals — opening a new era of interconnection of all things and joint intelligence (with a report)]. Published on January 12, 2025. URL: https://www.citexpo.org/press_center/exhibition_ews/264.html

International analytical publications


The material was prepared using artificial intelligence technologies.

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