In an ambitious effort to establish itself as a premier data processing hub, the Lin-gang Special Area in Shanghai has unveiled a plan to step up construction of a leading site for international data connectivity and digital trade.

The plan was also designed to accelerate the development of the Lin-gang Special Area into a special economic zone with greater influence and competitiveness in the international market, build a globally competitive data economy industrial system, and make it the core hub for supporting domestic digital enterprises in expanding overseas, and a frontier for international cooperation in cross-border data flow.

The plan outlines five core tasks and 15 measures to ease cross-border data flows, capture opportunities from global industry shifts, and strengthen China's role in digital trade.

Efforts will be made to enhance industrial cooperation by establishing regional "Data Cooperation Zones" and "Data Cooperation Corridors" targeting key digital economy parks in regions such as Hong Kong, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Belt and Road countries, according to the plan.

The plan underlines the need to promote alignment with international trade rules and data standards, engage with frameworks like the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA ), an international trade partnership agreement seeking to foster digital trade by regulating issues related to the digital economy, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade agreement among 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, to pilot personal information protection, cross-border data flow, and innovation in digital products.

To improve the management system for the international data processing hub, the plan specifies that a management system encompassing pre-entry commitments, self-management during operations, and post-operation fault tolerance will be developed. While ensuring cross-border data security, efforts will be made to explore a more facilitated management mechanism for cross-border data flows.

It also calls for establishing an independent management body for the international data business, involving government, professional institutions, and industry experts.

The plan says that diversified international data services should be fostered. Data services companies are encouraged to offer global services such as data collection, storage, processing, and annotation. Digital enterprises are also encouraged to develop digital cultural products dedicated to international markets, including micro-dramas, games, and animations, as well as promoting R&D, production, publishing, and international operation of digital cultural products.

The plan encourages enterprises expanding globally to establish cross-border digital institutions, operation centers, and business innovation centers in the Lin-gang Special Area in order to facilitate efficient overseas data storage and hosting, network connectivity and transmission, overseas data processing and analysis, and technical support and maintenance, creating a global data management and service hub for enterprises going global.

Enterprises are also encouraged to build international computing power resource scheduling platforms, promoting collaboration among global computing power resource providers, demand parties, and technology service providers. They are also encouraged to establish algorithm model platforms and high-quality datasets, according to the plan.

Efforts will be made to optimize international data transmission infrastructure through dedicated data lines and advanced network architecture. High-quality data processing facilities, including international data centers, will also be built.

Lin-gang Special Area will enhance the business environment to support high-standard opening-up and promote industry-academia-research collaboration through joint labs and innovation centers, striving to build a high-quality development ecosystem for international data services.

Authorities involved in the plan's implementation will focus on institutional innovation, platform development, and risk management to ensure a coordinated approach to advancing Shanghai's position in the global data economy.