Shanghai’s economy and information technology authority included the metaverse in a five-year industry plan, signaling early local-government interest in the concept. The plan framed the metaverse as a future-facing area for technology development and application scenarios.
Guangzhou’s Huangpu District (and Guangzhou Development District) released policy measures to support metaverse-related technologies. The measures focused on areas such as digital twins and XR (extended reality) and used subsidies and project support to attract firms and build applications.
Shanghai announced an official action plan to cultivate a “metaverse” industry track for 2022–2025. The plan set targets for industry scale, company development, and demonstration scenarios, and it positioned the metaverse as part of Shanghai’s broader industrial upgrading strategy.
Guangzhou’s Nansha district announced supportive policies and launched a metaverse industrial cluster zone. The package emphasized government-backed incentives for research institutes, companies’ R&D spending, and talent recruitment to speed up local industry formation.
Henan’s provincial government issued a formal action plan for metaverse industry development (2022–2025). It set goals for industrial parks, enterprise cultivation, and “metaverse+” demonstration scenarios, while also emphasizing infrastructure, governance, and security as foundations.
In Beijing’s Zhongguancun Shijingshan Science Park, an innovation alliance tied to metaverse and the digital economy was launched. The initiative aimed to connect enterprises with universities and research institutes and provide a coordination platform for technology and application development.
Beijing jointly released a 2023–2025 work plan to promote “Internet 3.0,” a policy umbrella that includes metaverse-related technologies such as XR, AI, and blockchain. The plan highlighted core-technology breakthroughs, application scenarios, and risk management as priorities.
At Beijing’s Global Digital Economy Conference, officials announced preparations for a municipal metaverse industry innovation center. The event also highlighted supporting mechanisms (such as special funds and platforms) intended to accelerate metaverse-adjacent industry building.
Sichuan published a draft action plan (through 2025) and sought public feedback, showing how provinces used consultation processes to shape metaverse policy. The draft emphasized industrial parks, leading firms, and governance topics such as privacy and data security in metaverse settings.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and other agencies issued a national three-year action plan for 2023–2025. It set goals for technology breakthroughs, applications, and industrial clusters, and it explicitly connected metaverse development with industrial policy and governance needs.
Following national policy emphasis on building an “industrial support system,” China’s metaverse push increasingly highlighted standards as a governance tool. Public reporting described MIIT-linked efforts to organize industry participation in metaverse standards work, aiming to shape interoperability and industry norms.
Beijing released an implementation plan focused on becoming a global benchmark city for the digital economy. While not limited to the metaverse, it reinforced the governance building blocks metaverse programs depend on—data infrastructure, standardized digital governance, and security-focused development.
China's national and provincial metaverse strategies (2020–2024)