China Formally Adopts AI-First Five-Year Plan as NPC Session Closes
China's National People's Congress wrapped up its annual session today, formally approving the 15th Five-Year Plan covering 2026 to 2030. The 141-page document names AI over 50 times and, for the first time in Five-Year Plan history, dedicates its own chapter to computing infrastructure. Beijing has coined a new strategic term - "model-chip-cloud-application" - encoding a four-layer architecture that moves well beyond the chip manufacturing debate to encompass software, cloud deployment, and end applications. The plan targets 7% annual growth in R&D expenditure and sets a goal of the digital economy reaching 12.5% of GDP by 2030, with AI, EVs and semiconductors named as priority sectors.
Why it matters for Asia
Analysis published by The Diplomat reveals that China's computing deployment strategy already includes offshore infrastructure in Southeast Asia, with at least one Malaysia-based initiative continuing despite official government pushback. For enterprise and government buyers from Singapore to Jakarta, the plan signals a sustained, state-backed AI push that will reshape supply chains, competitive dynamics, and data sovereignty debates across the region for the rest of the decade.^
