China's Development and Reform Commission Outlines Infrastructure and Policy Optimization Strategy

China's National Development and Reform Commission held a press conference on June 18, 2026, to address recent economic priorities and outline plans for advancing major infrastructure networks and optimizing policy implementation. Li Chao, deputy director of the commission's policy research office and spokesperson, presented comprehensive analysis on key economic issues facing the nation.

Regarding infrastructure development, officials emphasized the construction of integrated computing power networks and logistics systems as fundamental support for modernization. The computing power network follows an "8+10+3" spatial layout, comprising eight national computing hubs, ten national computing clusters, and three collaborative development regions. As of March 2026, intelligent computing capacity had reached 2.5 times the level of the previous year, with sustained high-speed growth expected. Officials identified coordination challenges between computing power networks and new-generation power grids, pledging enhanced synergy during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. For logistics, the commission reported over 2,700 large-scale logistics parks and progress on 210 national standards during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, with plans to implement a specialized modern logistics development plan through 2030.

The commission detailed results from its "two new" policies—equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-in programs—highlighting strong multiplier effects. Equipment renewal initiatives have distributed 185.1 billion yuan across two tranches, supporting over 11,000 projects with total investment exceeding 840 billion yuan. Consumer goods trade-in programs distributed 125 billion yuan in the first five months of 2026, driving sales exceeding 820 billion yuan and benefiting over 110 million consumers. Benefits include renovation of 194,000 residential elevators and equipment updates in elderly care facilities. The commission plans to disburse the remaining 200 billion yuan in equipment renewal allocations and 62.5 billion yuan for trade-in programs by June 30.

A notable development was the launch of transmission rights market-based trading on June 1, 2026, marking China's first such initiative. The Beijing and Guangzhou power trading centers completed the first transaction on June 11-12, with Anhui transmitting approximately 21.16 million kilowatt-hours to Guangdong. This mechanism aims to efficiently allocate transmission channel resources, reasonably distribute transmission costs, and optimize power resource allocation across larger geographic areas.

Energy efficiency improvements represent another priority. The commission announced a three-year energy conservation and carbon reduction initiative targeting nine high-consumption sectors including steel, electrolytic aluminum, cement, flat glass, oil refining, ethylene, synthetic ammonia, methanol, and coal power. By 2028, the goal is to increase energy efficiency benchmark capacity by an average of 20 percentage points across industrial sectors, with coal power targeting a 15 percentage point increase. Simultaneously, new projects will emphasize energy structure optimization, green direct supply models, and increased non-fossil energy use to lower carbon emissions.