China says it will increase support for AI, science and tech innovation

China said on Wednesday it would boost support for the application of artificial intelligence (AI) models and the development of venture capital investment, in a bid to foster more technology breakthroughs and become more self-reliant.

The plans were included in a government document prepared for the annual meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's rubber-stamp parliament.

The country wants to foster "industries of the future" including biomanufacturing, quantum technology, embodied AI and 6G technology, the report said. To do so, China plans to explore new models for national laboratories as well as give strong support and "important responsibilities" to young scientists and engineers.

It will support the application of large-scale AI models and development of next-generation intelligent terminals and smart manufacturing terminals, it added. It was the first time AI models were mentioned in the work report and comes after the recent global fanfare over Chinese AI startup DeepSeek.

"China will strive to create an enabling environment for innovation that encourages exploration and tolerates failure," the report said.

It also said that it would improve basic data systems at a faster pace and promote cross border data flows.