In a major development, China has laid out plans to largely finish building a nationwide blockchain network by 2030, according to a five-year digital development plan published Friday. The target comes from the National Informatisation Plan for the 15th Five-Year Period, issued by the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, a senior body within the ruling Communist Party responsible for coordinating digital policy.According to an October 23 announcement from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the 14-page document instructs authorities to build out blockchain infrastructure while developing specific applications across sectors including shipping, government services, taxation and carbon reduction. In the Yangtze River Delta, officials are being pushed toward deeper blockchain integration in trade and finance. Meanwhile, the Chengdu-Chongqing region in southwestern China is slated for large-scale deployment in manufacturing and agriculture. The project already appeared in China’s broader national development plan released back in March, and the new document makes that timeline explicit. A separate joint policy issued by the Communist Party’s central leadership and the State Council on October 9 had already called for the network’s construction.The plan also pushes for stronger technical standards governing blockchain use and calls for expanding the technology’s role in data circulation and trading.The blockchain push comes against the backdrop of the country’s effort to expand it’s digital currency ecosystem. China has been encouraging citizens to use the digital yuan more widely, and as part of that effort, authorities expanded the number of banks authorized to offer digital yuan services from 22 to 30 earlier this year.New Jersey Regulators Issue Cease And Desist Orders Against 3 Crypto Sites Over ScamsTON Blockchain Back Online After Second OutageOoki DAO to shut down as CFTC wins LawsuitPresident Biden on His Intent to Nominate Michael Barr as Top Fed Regulator