China Issues a Digital Transformation Plan for the Machinery Industry

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and seven other departments have issued an implementation plan for the digital transformation of the machinery industry. The plan sets out 12 key tasks. This article presents the network and data security content summarized in the original Chinese report.

The plan addresses both the machinery industry’s own transformation and its role in enabling other industries to transform. It seeks to accelerate digitalization and intelligent upgrades through multiple measures and support high-quality industrial development. The following are the relevant security and data priorities; the English policy titles are descriptive translations.

1. Unlock the value of equipment data

Task 9 concerns equipment data value. It calls for data governance throughout the equipment lifecycle, improving intelligent-equipment data collection, secure storage, knowledge visualization and standardized use. The aim is to produce high-quality data resources that are controllable, trustworthy and traceable.

The plan calls for trusted data-space development initiatives in sectors including construction machinery, rail transport equipment, agricultural machinery, medical equipment and mining equipment. These spaces would support exploration of data-driven models such as industry–finance collaboration and collaborative innovation.

It also seeks to accelerate the productive use of lifecycle data. Data trading institutions are encouraged to focus on equipment lifecycle information, explore circulation and trading models, and help build an intelligent-equipment data service ecosystem.

2. Strengthen network and data security governance

Task 12 addresses network and data security. It calls for classified and graded industrial internet security management and implementation of China’s measures for industrial internet security classification and its industrial control system cybersecurity protection guidelines.

Enterprises are to undertake the full process of self-classification, graded protection, conformity assessment and remediation. Key enterprises should strengthen cybersecurity monitoring and protection of important industrial control systems to improve their overall security capabilities.

The plan also promotes standards for identifying important data in priority subsectors. It calls for guidance on important-data identification and catalog filing, implementation of graded protection, risk assessment, monitoring and emergency response, and use of data security technologies to strengthen protective capabilities.

Source: China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. This article describes a Chinese industry policy, not requirements imposed by other countries.