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A Chinese engineer, wearing a VR headset, manipulates a holographic 3D model of a complex mechanism displayed on a computer screen, representing innovation in AI and engineering. By MDL.

Economy

China’s “AI Plus” Directive: How Beijing Plans to Dominate the Global AI Landscape by 2035

China launched “AI Plus” to integrate AI across its economy by 2035, boosting productivity and global influence.

byAndres Castro

September 21, 2025, 12:21 PM

Executive Summary

China’s “AI Plus” initiative is a comprehensive national strategy to integrate AI across its economy and society, aiming to accelerate productivity, modernize industries, and enhance governance efficiency.

The directive sets ambitious timelines for AI adoption, targeting 70% penetration in six key sectors by 2027, over 90% by 2030, and a full transition to an AI-powered economy by 2035.

Beyond domestic goals, the initiative seeks to influence global AI development by promoting Chinese open-source tools and empowering countries in the Global South.

The Story So Far

China’s “AI Plus” initiative is a comprehensive national strategy released by the State Council, designed to deeply integrate artificial intelligence across the nation’s economy and society. This directive underscores Beijing’s intensified and long-standing commitment to leveraging technology for economic transformation, modernization, and enhanced governance efficiency, building upon previous digital government goals. The plan outlines ambitious timelines for widespread AI adoption and aims to establish China as a global leader in AI, including promoting its tools in the Global South.

Why This Matters

China’s “AI Plus” initiative represents an escalated national strategy for rapid and comprehensive AI integration across its economy and society, aiming for widespread adoption by 2035 to drive productivity and modernization. This ambitious push not only signals a fundamental transformation of China’s domestic landscape but also positions Beijing to significantly influence global AI development, particularly in the Global South, by promoting its open-source tools and shaping future technological norms.

Who Thinks What?

China’s State Council launched the “AI Plus” initiative, viewing AI as a core driver for accelerating productivity, modernizing industries, and enhancing governance efficiency, signaling Beijing’s intensified commitment to leveraging technology for economic transformation and global influence.

The “AI Plus” directive outlines a comprehensive national strategy to integrate artificial intelligence across its economy and society, setting ambitious targets for widespread AI adoption in key sectors by 2027 and aiming for a full transition to an AI-powered economy and society by 2035.

China’s State Council released the “AI Plus” initiative directive on August 26, outlining a comprehensive national strategy to integrate artificial intelligence across its economy and society. This move positions AI as a core driver for accelerating productivity, modernizing industries, and enhancing governance efficiency, signaling Beijing’s intensified commitment to leveraging technology for economic transformation and global influence.

Expanding AI Integration Across Sectors

The directive, initially introduced as a broad slogan in the 2024 government work report and reiterated in 2025, represents the most detailed blueprint for China’s AI ambitions to date. It specifies concrete targets, timelines, and sectoral priorities for embedding AI across key areas including industry, agriculture, energy, services, and public administration.

The initiative aims to accelerate productivity and modernize various industries, establishing AI as a central engine for economic transformation. It also seeks to drive efficiency within public administration, aligning with broader goals for governance modernization.

Ambitious Timelines and Penetration Targets

The “AI Plus” directive outlines ambitious deadlines for widespread AI adoption across the country. By 2027, the government expects AI applications to be integrated into six key sectors, with intelligent terminals and AI agents achieving a 70 percent penetration rate.

Looking further ahead, the directive targets over 90 percent penetration by 2030, intending to drive high-quality growth across all economic sectors. The ultimate goal is a full transition to an AI-powered economy and society by 2035, providing a foundational layer for socialist modernization.

Global Aspirations and Foundational Capabilities

Beyond domestic objectives, the policy underscores China’s ambition to influence the global development of AI. It aims to promote the widespread availability of Chinese open-source AI tools and empower countries in the Global South to develop their own AI capabilities, seeking to bridge the global intelligence divide.

While the directive does not explicitly pursue artificial general intelligence (AGI), its strong emphasis on foundational capabilities signals a long-term vision that extends beyond immediate applications. This initiative builds upon existing policies and targets, including the State Council’s prior goals for creating a digital government by 2024 and 2025.

Key Takeaways

China’s “AI Plus” initiative marks a significant escalation in its national AI strategy, detailing a multi-sectoral integration plan with clear timelines and global outreach components. The directive highlights a strategic commitment to harness AI for comprehensive economic and societal transformation, solidifying its role as a central pillar of China’s future development.