On October 31, 2025, the National Development and Reform Commission, along with five other departments, unveiled the Action Plan for Advancing Smart City Development and Facilitating City-Wide Digital Transformation. This plan aims to propel urban development through the digital economy and industry, encompassing the use of digital technologies to revamp underutilized commercial buildings, outdated industrial zones, and similar spaces. The goal is to create hubs for data innovation and entrepreneurship, establish innovative industrial and business communities driven by data, and construct digital public service systems centered around industrial parks.

Furthermore, the plan calls for the creation of resource repositories for digital transformation products and solutions, thereby facilitating the practical application of scientific and technological innovations across traditional, emerging, and future industries. It envisions the creation of urban testbeds for the initial trials and applications of these innovations.

Simultaneously, the plan pledges support to eligible regions and urban agglomerations in the development of data industry clusters. This includes exploring financial service products such as data insurance and data trusts, and nurturing digital industry clusters in a step-by-step manner. Additionally, the plan emphasizes the need to bolster the digitally coordinated development of modern urban agglomerations and metropolitan areas. It advocates for supporting qualified regions in promoting the seamless interconnection and interoperability of data elements, thereby achieving the cross-regional sharing of digital services.