In his report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China on Oct 18, General Secretary Xi Jinping said that China will work at a faster pace to build the country into a manufacturer of quality goods, develop the manufacturing sector, and promote the integration of artificial intelligence with the real economy.

In the 2017 Government Work Report, presented in March, Premier Li Keqiang said that China will more expeditiously cultivate and foster emerging industries, including the AI sector.

And the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a development plan in July for new generation AI, lifting AI development to a national strategy. The 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for national scientific and technological innovation and national strategic emerging industries, too, has accorded priority to the promotion of AI technology.