Chinese officials are keen on exploring the integration of metaverse technologies into key sectors of the national economy, publishing a Three-Year Action Plan to bring its plans to reality.
The plans are a joint effort between the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Education, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, and the National Radio and Television Administration. According to reports, the action plan will begin in 2023 and run all the way to 2025, giving Chinese authorities a three-year window to execute their metaverse plans.
The action plan, split into specific goals, advocates for the wholesale integration of the metaverse into the Chinese economy. The plan focused on applications in cultural, educational, and entertainment industries, with suggestions for key players to incorporate into their offerings.
For example, television stations, museums, and other leading tourist attractions are encouraged to offer immersive experiences for visitors and viewers using virtual worlds. In the future, museums across China will make virtual reality (VR) tours designed to provide visitors with captivating content, building on the existing attempts by municipal authorities.
Provinces and cities across China have been rolling out their blueprints for metaverse and non-fungible token (NFT) integration since 2022, with Beijing eyeing the creation of digital jobs via the metaverse. Shanghai, Chongqing, Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Zhejiang have made the metaverse a mainstay in their grand plans for improving the digital economy.
A common denominator across their plans is the attraction of global digital metaverse companies to set up shops in the regions, support the incubation of home-grown firms, and deepen the talent pool for service providers.
However, the collaboration between crucial Chinese ministries for a three-year action plan makes it the first time the country will adopt a unified metaverse strategy. A community reading of the plans indicates the government’s attempts to introduce virtual worlds to its younger population, which Ji Zhihui, an expert who has observed the metaverse industry for years, described as “the majority of the metaverse’s future residents.”
“It’s the first national-level policy to support the application of the metaverse,” said Zang Zhipeng, an executive at the China Cultural Industry Association.
Setting the standard for global framework
While China is doubling down on its attempts to improve domestic applications for the metaverse, it is pushing to set the standard for a global regulatory framework.
The bulk of the proposed global framework stems from a report from China Mobile involving the use of digital IDs containing essential information to identify metaverse participants. Per the proposal, the digital IDs will assist law enforcement agencies in tracking bad actors spreading misinformation or breaking other rules in the metaverse.
However, the plans have received criticism for operating in the same manner as China’s social credit system with its reputation as a tool for state surveillance.
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