National public data platform to begin trial run

China's national platform for public data resource registration is set to launch a trial operation on March 1, an official from the National Data Administration said Tuesday.

Chen Ronghui, deputy head of the administration, said at a press conference that the platform serves not only as a management system for public data resources, but also as a portal for information disclosure and discovery.

Once the platform is operational, data providers will be able to publish information about data resources and products, while data users can search for data, according to Chen.

A key focus for this year's data-related initiatives is to enhance the role of data in reducing corporate costs, fostering new quality productive forces and driving high-quality development, Chen said.

China introduced a set of guidelines last year to accelerate the development and utilization of public data resources. These measures aim to support the digital economy and strengthen the country's competitive advantages in this sector.

By 2025, China expects to achieve substantial progress in developing and utilizing public data resources across key industries and regions. By 2030, public data is anticipated to play an important role in empowering the real economy, expanding consumer demand, and improving governance capacity, according to the guidelines.

The transaction volume of China's data market is estimated to have topped 160 billion yuan (about 22.31 billion U.S. dollars) in 2024, marking a year-on-year increase of more than 30 percent, official data showed.

Looking ahead, Chen said efforts will be made to promote cross-sector data integration and develop multi-scenario applications to further unlock the value of data resources.