China will accelerate the planning and construction of next-generation communication networks and computing power infrastructure to build an integrated space-air-ground information network, a senior industry official said at the 2026 China Internet Conference held in Beijing.
Zhong Zhihong, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that standing at the new historical starting point of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), the internet industry must focus on building China into a strong and prosperous nation and foster new development advantages while stimulating market vitality to push the sector toward higher-quality development.
Zhong outlined four priorities for the sector's development and called for strategic guidance to serve national modernization goals, urging strengthened planning for next-generation networks and computing power to provide solid support.
She stressed innovation-driven breakthroughs in basic research and core technologies to secure a proactive position in future technological and industrial competition while advocating integrated empowerment through deeper "AI+" and data-element applications to continuously expand new models and business scenarios.
