On October 20, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) announced the establishment of the “National Data Group,” claiming to carry out “data resource development and utilization” under the premise of marketization and commercialization. This state-owned enterprise is backed by the State Council and seven shareholders including telecommunications operators, with five of them holding the most complete personal behavioral data in China. The establishment of the CCP’s “national team” aims to monopolize resources, engage in corruption, and flagrantly violate citizens’ privacy rights, drawing widespread attention.
According to the report from the CCP’s official Xinhua News Agency, the founding ceremony of the National Data Group Limited Company was held on October 20 in Xiongan New Area, Hebei province. Ding Xuexiang, member of the CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the event.
The report stated that the National Data Group is a central enterprise mainly engaged in data resource development and utilization, headquartered in Xiongan New Area, Hebei province. It also mentioned that while there were over a hundred regional data groups in the past, the absence of a national-level operating entity led to the establishment of the National Data Group to complement the “national + regional” dual-level operating system.
Ranked 28th in the CCP’s State-Owned Enterprise List under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the National Data Group holds a deputy-ministerial level status among central enterprises, following the three major telecommunications operators (China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile) and China SatNet, a satellite internet operator. Currently, there are a total of 100 central enterprises, with the top 55 enterprises in the list holding deputy-ministerial statuses.
Chinese affairs expert Li Linyi told Epoch Times that the establishment of this state-owned enterprise indicates that the authorities are treating data as a national strategic resource in an attempt to build a data industry system that can support AI development.
Li Linyi further explained that the new state-owned enterprise is collectively funded by seven parties, including the State Council, Xiongan New Area Management Committee, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile, State Grid, and Southern Power Grid. Among them, these five enterprises possess the most complete sets of personal behavioral data in China – communication records (location, calls, internet browsing) and electricity usage data (home routines, occupancy status, production load). By consolidating this data under a single new state-owned enterprise, it effectively centralizes the behavioral data of the entire population at the ownership level.
The National Data Bureau was established in 2023, and in October 2024, the CCP’s General Office and State Council’s General Office issued a document stating that all CCP government agencies and enterprises consider the “public data generated in the performance of duties or in providing public services as an important foundational strategic resource of the state.” They emphasized the “comprehensive leadership of the Party in data work.”
Assistant Researcher Wang Xiaowen from the Taiwan Institute for National Defense and Security previously told Epoch Times that according to the CCP’s official stance, only the CCP can “develop and utilize” public data. By designating it as a “national foundational strategic resource,” the CCP monopolizes public data, turning it into a lucrative source of profit.
Li Linyi mentioned that the National Data Group of the CCP is responsible for data operation and monetization, with the entry and pricing rules for data transactions being unilaterally decided by the CCP. The inclusion of “serving AI development” as a core business responsibility of the company explicitly states that the state-owned entity will provide the data controlled by the country for AI use, clearly outlining its position.
Li Linyi expresses concerns that China has been criticized by human rights organizations for developing a data authoritarian surveillance state, and with the CCP seeking to consolidate various operators and intensify the use of public data resources, attention from the international community is crucial to prevent further massive infringement on citizens’ privacy.
The official website of the National Data Group of the CCP is now live, featuring the leadership team. Jian Qin serves as the Chairman of the National Data Group, while Chen Ronghui is the General Manager. However, only their leadership positions have been disclosed, without detailed information such as birthdates, work histories, and resumes.
Information available online shows that Jian Qin, born in 1966 from Zhangshu, Jiangxi province, previously served as the Chairman of Sichuan Company of China Mobile, appointed as a director of China Post on May 14, 2023, and became a director and the general manager of China Unicom on March 15, 2024. Chen Ronghui, born in December 1970 in Nan’an, Fujian province, formerly worked as an official at Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Director of Fujian Provincial Big Data Management Bureau, and General Manager of Fujian Provincial Big Data Group. He was appointed as the Deputy Director of the National Data Bureau in December 2023.
On an overseas platform X, netizens commented: “In two years, it will be another corruption scandal involving billions, followed by a new wave of officials taking over.” “In two years, a comrade will be under investigation again.”
The recent trend of abbreviating the resumes of senior CCP officials has garnered attention. Commentator Finding posted that the real purpose behind simplifying the resumes of officials is to reduce transparency – the less disclosed, the harder it is to track their backgrounds; when disclosure reaches zero, oversight diminishes as well.
The CCP’s pursuit of developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) begins with harnessing big data analytics. RAND Corporation previously reported that Beijing is striving to use big data to help China achieve a dominant global position. Against the backdrop of technological rivalry with the United States, Beijing has taken various actions in the big data industry in recent years. However, the successive downfall of officials overseeing big data development has cast a shadow over the CCP’s big data strategy.
Following the establishment of the National Data Bureau in 2023, in June 2024, the CCP authorities unusually disclosed that several departments were profiteering from government data. An audit report revealed that seven operational units from four departments were involved in unauthorized data content determination, service forms, and fee standards, resulting in a total external fee collection of 248 million yuan.
On July 2, 2025, Yu Shiyang, Director of the Department of Big Data Development at the National Information Center of the CCP, was detained. Since 2016, the CCP has designated big data as a pillar industry in Guizhou, approving the establishment of the country’s first national big data pilot zone in Guizhou. However, officials involved in the Guizhou big data industry have frequently fallen under corruption allegations. This includes the first two directors of the Provincial Big Data Development Management Bureau in Guizhou, several executives of big data state-owned enterprises, along with four consecutive mayors of Guiyang City, the Deputy Mayor in charge of big data, the top leaders of Gui’an New Area, and several deputy leaders.