China's Data Governance Strategy Aims to Drive AI Development Amid Global Data Constraints
China has launched the World Data Organisation in Beijing, marking a significant step in its strategy to address global data constraints and enhance artificial intelligence (AI) development. This move is part of China's broader 'AI-plus' initiative, which has been aggressively pursued since late 2025. The initiative focuses on utilizing data as a critical resource, akin to 'new oil,' to power AI advancements. Recognizing the finite nature of human-generated data, as highlighted by former OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever in 2024, China has reformed its data governance strategy. This includes reorganizing its data-sharing regime to pool and channel vast amounts of data generated through large-scale digitization into specialized AI models. These models are designed to drive the next stage of AI development, focusing on sector-specific applications such as telemedicine diagnostics and financial fraud detection. 
