CPC Politburo: Fully Implement 'AI Plus' Action Plan

Top Leadership Sets the Tone: AI Elevated to Core National Strategy

On April 28, the CPC Central Committee Politburo held a meeting to analyze and study the current economic situation and economic work. When laying out the next phase of economic priorities, the meeting explicitly proposed fully implementing the 'AI Plus' action plan, developing new forms of intelligent economy, and improving AI governance. This marks yet another instance of China's top decision-making body placing artificial intelligence at the core of economic work, sending an extraordinarily strong policy signal.

Three Key Phrases Reveal Policy Direction

1. 'Full Implementation' — From Pilots to Nationwide Coverage

The 'AI Plus' initiative was first introduced in the 2024 Government Work Report. The Politburo meeting's use of the phrase 'full implementation' signals that AI empowerment across industries will shift from localized pilot programs to a phase of systematic, nationwide advancement. Deep AI integration is expected to accelerate across sectors ranging from manufacturing and agriculture to healthcare, education, and government services.

2. 'New Forms of Intelligent Economy' — Cultivating New Quality Productive Forces

The meeting's call to 'develop new forms of intelligent economy' closely aligns with the current global AI industry competition landscape. Driven by technological waves including large language models, AI agents, and embodied intelligence, traditional economic models are undergoing profound transformation. The intelligent economy encompasses not only the AI industry itself but also AI-driven new business models, new forms of production organization, and new consumption scenarios.

3. 'Improving Governance' — Balancing Development and Security

Notably, while emphasizing development, the meeting explicitly called for 'improving AI governance.' This indicates that top decision-makers fully recognize the double-edged nature of AI technology and will establish a robust regulatory framework alongside industrial development, including institutional measures covering data security, algorithmic fairness, and AI ethics.

The Bigger Picture: Countering Uncertainty with Certainty

The backdrop of this Politburo meeting warrants careful consideration. Amid intensifying international trade frictions and rising global economic uncertainty, the meeting emphasized 'systematically responding to external shocks and challenges' and 'using the certainty of high-quality development to counter various uncertainties.' The fact that 'AI Plus' was listed alongside building a modern industrial system, maintaining a reasonable share of manufacturing, and deepening state-owned enterprise reform clearly demonstrates that AI is now regarded as a critical engine for China's economic transformation and for countering external pressures.

Meanwhile, the meeting's call to 'thoroughly address involution-style competition' carries significant implications for the AI industry as well. Over the past year, China's large model sector has witnessed price wars and homogenized competition. Future policies are likely to guide the industry toward differentiated, high-quality development.

Industry Impact and Future Outlook

From an industry perspective, the tone set by this Politburo meeting will generate multiple positive effects:

• Accelerated release of policy dividends: Local governments are expected to roll out intensive 'AI Plus' supporting policies, increasing investment in computing infrastructure, AI application demonstration projects, and talent recruitment.
• Boosted capital market confidence: The AI-related industry chain is poised to attract greater funding attention, benefiting companies across the spectrum from chips and computing power to the application layer.
• Reshaping of the international competitive landscape: Against the backdrop of deepening U.S.-China tech rivalry, comprehensive national-level advancement will accelerate the process of achieving self-reliance in domestic AI technologies.
• Faster improvement of governance systems: The AI legislative process is expected to accelerate, providing a clearer institutional framework for industry development.

From 'Internet Plus' to 'AI Plus,' China is once again embracing a wave of technological transformation at the national strategic level. With the top leadership's clear directive, 2025 is poised to become a pivotal year for China's AI industry — transitioning from technological breakthroughs to comprehensive, real-world deployment.