Beijing unveils its plan that should accelerate the development of metaverse in the Chinese capital, thanks to support from the city’s institutions.
Districts stand together behind Beijing’s metaverse
In China, the metaverse is a matter of state. In a statement on August 23, the Beijing municipal government revealed its two-year action plan focused on innovation and metaverse development.
The program, which runs from 2022 to 2024, requires districts to build the technological infrastructure required for metavers at the city level, and encourage its use in various fields such as education, or tourism.
This innovation plan will be accompanied by the development and integration of key technologies, such as 3D visualization and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which will contribute to the “construction of a reference city for the digital economy at the global level in the sub-city”.
As part of this program, the districts will also have to support financially and in terms of human resources, the construction of this metaverse. The statement did not, however, specify the figures, on the subsidies that will be paid to eligible projects.
Blockchain: a key technology
This plan by the Beijing municipal government aligns with China’s current strategic move to transform its capital into a Global Science and Technology Innovation Center by 2025. The authorities revealed this vision and related details in January last year.
The country wants to enhance the country’s strength in science and technology during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, which runs from 2021 to 2025. Under this report, Vice Mayor Jin Wei said at the time that Beijing’s creativity, competitiveness and influence in terms of innovation should dominate the world from 2035.
Jin Wei highlighted efforts to support and encourage both basic research and key technologies such as quantum information, artificial intelligence, blockchain and health.
China is known for its anti-crypto stance, going so far as to officially ban cryptocurrency mining in the country. But, it apparently wants to be among the leaders of the web3, betting on the collective effort for the development of metavers and NFTs in its territory.
