China Seeks Public Opinions on Data Property Registration Guidelines to Boost Digital Economy

China’s National Data Administration (NDA) issued a notice on April 3, seeking public opinions on the Guidelines for Data Property Registration (Trial) (Draft for Public Comment), aiming to improve the data property rights system, establish a unified national data property registration system and facilitate the development of an integrated national data market.

The draft clearly defines data property rights as the proprietary rights enjoyed by obliges over specific data, including data holding rights, data use rights and data operation rights. It applies to the registration of property rights for all forms of data within China, such as data resources and data products. Meanwhile, the draft specifies the selection criteria for registration institutions and clarifies registration procedures including application, acceptance and review.

“Data is a new type of production factor, and the effective activation of its value cannot be separated from the clarification of property rights ownership and the standardization of circulation and transactions,” noted Chang Peng’ao, Professor of Law at Peking University. He added that the guidelines, based on the actual situation and practical needs of China’s data market development, not only establish a data property registration system but also focus on overall coordination with other types of registration, promoting the formation of a clear and coordinated data registration system.

Huo Fupeng, Director of the Innovation-Driven Development Center under the National Development and Reform Commission, stated that at present, regions including Shanghai, Fujian, Zhejiang and Guizhou have carried out diverse explorations on data-related registration and accumulated valuable experience. However, there are significant differences in registration processes, review standards and verification mechanisms across these regions. He emphasized the urgent need to consolidate consensus, unify requirements and introduce national-level policies on data property registration and publicity based on existing experience to enhance the authority and credibility of data property registration.

“With the rapid development of China’s digital economy, data has become increasingly important, yet few entities dare to use, know how to use and make good use of it,” said Tang Ke, Professor at the School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University. He pointed out that unclear data property rights are the main reason, adding that it is necessary to clearly answer “how to determine data ownership and how to split and restrict rights” to provide a basis for the compliant use and standardized circulation of data.

The public consultation period runs from April 3 to April 19, 2026, with opinions accepted via email as specified by the NDA. The move marks a key step in improving China’s data infrastructure system, laying a solid foundation for the sound development of the digital economy.