Technology in Commerce: China’s 18 Measures and the AI-plus-Culture Pilot
- The Opinions on Accelerating the Application of Technology in Commerce (Shang Jian Han [2026] No. 551) were issued by nine departments on 13 October 2026 and published on 19 October 2026.
《商务部等 9 部门关于加快推进科技兴商的意见》（商建函〔2026〕551 号）由 9 个部门于 2026 年 10 月 13 日发文，2026 年 10 月 19 日对外发布。
- The document sets out 18 measures in four areas — goods consumption, services consumption, commercial circulation and future commercial scenarios — plus six supporting areas covering standards, infrastructure, safety supervision, R&D translation, talent and finance.
文件提出 18 条具体举措，分四个方面——商品消费提质、服务消费扩容、商贸流通链条、未来商业场景——并从标准体系、基础设施、安全监管、研发转化、人才培养、财政金融六方面优化发展环境。
- It calls for deeper implementation of the “AI plus manufacturing” campaign, flexible manufacturing built on industrial large models and edge intelligence, and consumer-to-manufacturer production with AI-based personalised customisation.
文件要求深入实施”人工智能 + 制造”专项行动，发展基于工业大模型与边缘智能的柔性制造，推广用户直连制造与基于人工智能的个性化定制。
- The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has commissioned 14 projects for “AI plus culture and tourism” application pilots, and says the next step is to explore mechanisms for confirming, pricing and trading rights in cultural digital assets.
文化和旅游部已遴选立项 14 个项目开展”人工智能 + 文化和旅游”应用试点，并表示下一步将探索建立文化数字资产确权、定价、交易机制。
- This is a directional and encouraging document, not a list companies can apply to; specific support depends on implementing rules and local measures that have not been published.
这是一份鼓励性、方向性文件，不是企业可以申报的清单；具体支持取决于尚未公布的配套细则与地方落地措施。
Technology in Commerce: China’s 18 Measures and the AI-plus-Culture Pilot | 科技兴商 18 条：外资内容与零售企业要读什么
Overview
Nine departments issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Application of Technology in Commerce (商建函〔2026〕551 号) on 13 October 2026 and published the text on 19 October 2026. The issuing bodies are the Ministry of Commerce, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the People’s Bank of China and the State Administration for Market Regulation.
The text runs to 18 measures in four areas and adds six supporting areas: standards, infrastructure, safety supervision, R&D translation, talent, and fiscal and financial support. Officials from three ministries explained it at a State Council Information Office briefing on 19 October 2026.
Two framing points matter more than any single clause. This is an encouraging and directional document: it describes where policy wants commercial technology to go, but creates no application window, subsidy schedule or entitlement. And its relevant content splits across two functions usually run by different teams — marketing and product on one side, retail and service operations on the other — so it repays reading across departments rather than only by government affairs.
What the 18 measures contain
Goods and manufacturing. The text calls for deeper implementation of the “AI plus manufacturing” campaign, integrating AI into product R&D, design, manufacturing and marketing, and enriching the supply of smart goods: smartphones, computers, home appliances, wearables, robots. It encourages smart products built on safe and reliable open-source operating systems and the innovative development of time-honoured brands. Companies are encouraged to develop flexible manufacturing, applying industrial large models and edge intelligence to build adaptive production systems, and to spread on-demand production and consumer-to-manufacturer (C2M) models; AI-based personalised customisation is named separately.
Channels and services. The China International Consumer Products Expo, the Global Digital Trade Expo and the China Agricultural Trade Fair are to be used as platforms for displaying, exchanging and trading technology achievements, and smart consumption facilities are to extend to county-level markets. Basic-demand services — domestic services and catering — are to be upgraded: domestic-service companies are encouraged to work with technology firms on smart platforms, smart elderly-care institutions are to be supported, and catering’s digital transformation accelerated.
Frontier technology and firms. Technology transfer institutions are to be cultivated in consumer goods fields to move brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence and similar results into the market, and trading companies in smart warehousing and digital supply chains are encouraged to apply for recognition as specialised, refined, distinctive and innovative (专精特新) enterprises.
Talent. Universities, research institutes and vocational schools are to build training bases with trading companies; regions with the conditions may set up city-level industry-education consortia; leading companies are encouraged to lead industry-education communities; and new occupations are to be recognised, including logistics robot application technology and intelligent system management.
Finance. Existing funding channels are to be pooled to spread emerging technologies in consumption, and financial institutions are encouraged to increase support for new consumption scenarios and for the technical upgrading and equipment renewal of commercial facilities.
At the briefing, Assistant Minister of Commerce Yuan Xiaoming described the text as new in content, comprehensive and practical. Meng Yue, director of market system development, cited smart domestic-service platforms for households, elderly care and childcare, and the use of ultra-high-definition audio-visual and digital twin technology in business districts, culture and tourism, and education. Wei Wei of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the ministry would push research on intelligent terminals including brain-computer interfaces and embodied intelligence, and develop intelligent industrial machine tools, agricultural machinery and medical devices.
The AI-plus-culture-and-tourism pilot
Zhou Hanping, a first-class inspector in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s industry development department, said the opinions propose application pilots for “AI plus culture and tourism”. The ministry has issued the 15th Five-Year Plan for Cultural and Tourism Development and the 15th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Industry Development, both of which set out the task of technology-enabled cultural and tourism development. Fourteen projects have been selected and commissioned for the pilots. The next step, she said, is to explore mechanisms for confirming, pricing and trading rights in cultural digital assets.
For a content business, the sequence in that sentence is the point. Confirmation of rights, pricing and trading are three different problems, and policy has named them together without yet resolving them in order. The 14 pilots give content formats a venue in which to be tried with official backing; they do not settle who owns what a generative model produces, nor how it is valued when it moves.
Where copyright and content rights sit
The opinions do not legislate on copyright. What they do is place cultural digital assets on the policy agenda as objects to be defined, valued and exchanged — a precondition for treating generated content as an asset rather than as marketing material. Three consequences follow for a foreign content company.
First, the asset question arrives before the dispute question. If rights are to be confirmed and priced, the internal record showing what went into a piece of content — inputs, model, human contribution, licence terms — becomes commercially relevant, not merely defensive.
Second, the surrounding framework moves on its own timetable. The Trademark Law was adopted on 26 June 2026 and takes effect on 1 January 2027; brand owners with China-facing product lines should work to that date rather than assume the current text governs next year’s filings.
Third, encouragement of content going out sits in the digital trade stream of commerce policy rather than in this document. Companies producing web fiction, audio-visual works or animation and games for overseas distribution should read the opinions as context for localisation and platform strategy, not as authority for a particular support measure.
Implications for foreign companies
Read the document as a map of where the ministry wants commercial technology to land, then check which landing points your China operations already occupy.
For consumer brands, the C2M and flexible-manufacturing clauses carry operational content. On-demand production changes how a China entity forecasts, holds inventory and configures a product line, and what it asks of a local contract manufacturer. A brand running a China-specific line is closer to these clauses than one importing a global range.
For retailers and service operators, the smart-store, catering-digitalisation and smart-elderly-care items point one way: technology applied to the service encounter rather than the product. Foreign operators in food service and elderly care should note that the document encourages these directions without opening a new access channel; sector licensing rules are unchanged.
For content and marketing teams, the value lies in the pilot list and the asset agenda. Fourteen commissioned projects indicate which formats the ministry will see tested; the cultural digital asset work signals that valuation and trading are being studied, which is where compliance and finance will converge.
One point is explicit and easy to miss: this is not a list companies can apply to. There is no form, no threshold, no amount. Support, where it materialises, will arrive through implementing rules and local measures, none of which is yet published.
The demand-side context is worth keeping: service retail sales rose 5 per cent year on year in January to September 2026, faster than goods retail — which is why an entire area covers services consumption, and why a company whose China revenue is mostly product-based should not skip those sections.
Related reading
- *China’s first full revision of the Trademark Law: what changes for foreign brand owners* (Article 390) — the substance of the revision, effective 1 January 2027.
- *China’s “Five Excellences” Quality E-Commerce Action: What Platforms Must Now Do* (Article 474) — platform-side obligations in the same policy stream.
Sources
- 中华人民共和国商务部·《商务部等 9 部门关于加快推进科技兴商的意见》全文（商建函〔2026〕551 号）：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2026/art_787f0441da1f4c0e8b5bad10118247f3.html
- 中国政府网·多部门详解科技兴商（2026-10-19）：https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/202610/content_7083758.htm
- 中华人民共和国文化和旅游部·「人工智能+文化和旅游」应用试点与项目名单：https://www.mct.gov.cn/
- 中华人民共和国商务部·政策发布栏目（科技兴商、电子商务与数字贸易相关政策）：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/
科技兴商 18 条：外资内容与零售企业要读什么
概述
2026 年 10 月 13 日，9 个部门联合印发《商务部等 9 部门关于加快推进科技兴商的意见》（商建函〔2026〕551 号），2026 年 10 月 19 日对外发布。联合发文部门为商务部、中央网信办、国家发展改革委、教育部、科技部、工业和信息化部、文化和旅游部、中国人民银行、市场监管总局。
文件提出 18 条具体举措，分为四个方面，另从标准体系、基础设施、安全监管、研发转化、人才培养、财政金融六个方面优化发展环境。2026 年 10 月 19 日，国务院新闻办公室举行发布会，三个部门的有关负责人介绍了对文件的理解。
有两点定位比任何单一条款都重要。其一，这是鼓励性、方向性文件：它说明政策希望商贸科技走向哪里，并不创设申报窗口、补贴目录或某项权利。其二，相关内容分散在两个通常由不同团队负责的职能上——一侧是营销与产品，另一侧是零售与服务运营——因此值得跨部门阅读，而不是只交给政府事务团队。
18 条写了什么
商品与制造。 文件要求深入实施”人工智能 + 制造”专项行动，加快人工智能技术与产品研发、设计、制造、营销深度融合，丰富智能手机、电脑、家居、穿戴设备、机器人等智能商品供给；鼓励基于安全可靠开源操作系统的智能产品研发应用；推动老字号守正创新发展。同时鼓励发展柔性制造，应用工业大模型、边缘智能构建自适应柔性生产系统，推广按需生产、用户直连制造等新模式；基于人工智能的个性化定制单独列出。
渠道与服务。 依托消博会、数贸会、农交会等展会搭建科技成果展示、交流、交易平台，推动智能消费设施和服务向县域延伸。提升家政、餐饮等基本需求类服务水平：支持家政企业与科技企业合作打造智能家政服务平台，支持建设智慧养老机构，加快餐饮数字化转型。
前沿技术与主体。 聚焦消费品领域培育技术转移转化机构，加速脑机接口、具身智能等前沿成果向市场转化；支持智能仓储、数智供应链等领域商贸企业申报专精特新企业。
人才。 支持高校、科研院所、职业学校与商贸企业共建培训基地、实训平台；支持有条件地区建立商贸领域市域产教联合体；鼓励头部企业牵头组建产教融合共同体；推动物流机器人应用技术、智能系统管理等新职业（工种）设置。
财政金融。 统筹利用现有资金渠道推动新兴技术在消费领域普及应用；鼓励金融机构按市场化、法治化原则加大对新型消费场景的金融支持，引导加大对消费商业设施技术改造和设备更新的金融支持。
发布会上，商务部部长助理袁晓明表示意见以”新””全””实”为主要特点。商务部市场体系建设司司长孟岳介绍了面向家政、养老托育等需求鼓励打造智能家政服务平台，以及支持超高清视听与数字孪生技术在商圈、文旅、教育培训的应用。工业和信息化部科技司司长魏巍表示，将推动脑机接口、具身智能等智能终端攻关迭代，发展智能工业母机、智能农业机械、智能医疗器械。
“人工智能 + 文化和旅游”应用试点
文化和旅游部产业发展司一级巡视员周汉萍介绍，意见提出开展”人工智能 + 文化和旅游”应用试点。该部已印发《文化和旅游发展”十五五”规划》《文化产业发展”十五五”规划》，均明确”推动科技赋能文化和旅游发展”的重点任务。目前已遴选立项 14 个项目开展试点。下一步，将探索建立文化数字资产确权、定价、交易机制。
对内容企业而言，这句话的顺序才是要点。确权、定价、交易是三个不同问题，政策把它们并列提出，尚未按顺序给出答案。14 个试点为内容形态提供了有官方背书的试验场景，但并不解决生成式模型产出的内容归谁所有，也不解决其流转时如何估值。
著作权与内容权益落在哪里
意见本身不立著作权之法。它做的是把文化数字资产放上政策议程，作为需要被确权、被定价、被交易的对象——这是把生成内容当作资产、而不是当作营销物料的前提。对外资内容企业，由此有三点。
第一，资产问题先于争议问题。如果文化数字资产要确权、要定价，那么记录一件内容由什么构成的内部档案——输入素材、所用模型、人的贡献、授权条款——就具有商业意义，而不只是防御性材料。
第二，周边框架有自己的时间表。《商标法》于 2026 年 6 月 26 日通过，2027 年 1 月 1 日施行；面向中国市场的品牌方应按这一时点安排工作，而不是假定现行文本仍将适用于明年的申请。
第三，对文化产品出海的鼓励，属于商务领域数字贸易的政策口径，并不在本文件之内。从事网文、视听、动漫游戏海外发行的企业，宜把意见当作本地化与平台策略的背景，而不是某项具体支持措施的依据。
对外资企业的实务意义
把文件读成一张地图：主管部门希望商贸科技落在哪些场景，然后核对本企业在中国的主体已占其中哪几个。
对消费品牌，用户直连制造与柔性制造两条最具操作性。按需生产改变的是中国主体如何预测、如何备货、如何配置产品线，也改变对本地代工厂提出什么要求。已在中国运行独立产品线的品牌，比整体进口全球产品线的品牌更接近这些条款。
对零售与服务经营者，智能门店、餐饮数字化、智慧养老指向同一方向：科技作用于服务环节，而不是商品本身。餐饮与养老领域的外资经营者应注意，文件鼓励的是方向，并未新开准入通道，行业许可规则没有变化。
对内容与营销团队，价值在试点名单与资产议程两处。14 个立项项目说明主管部门愿意看到哪些形态被试验；文化数字资产相关工作说明估值与交易正在被研究，这提示合规与财务将在何处汇合。
有一点写得很明确却容易被忽略：这不是企业可以申报的清单。没有申报表、没有门槛、没有金额。支持如果落地，会通过配套细则与地方措施实现，而这些尚未公布。
需求侧背景值得留存：2026 年 1—9 月服务零售额同比增长 5%，快于商品零售额增速，这也是文件用一整个方面讲服务消费、以及中国区收入以商品为主的企业不应跳过服务部分的原因。
延伸阅读
- 《中国商标法首次全面修订：外资品牌方要注意什么》（第 390 篇）——修订的实体内容，2027 年 1 月 1 日施行。
- 《中国品质电商”五优”行动：平台与商家要做哪些调整》（第 474 篇）——同一政策脉络下的平台侧义务。
来源
- 商务部·《商务部等 9 部门关于加快推进科技兴商的意见》全文（商建函〔2026〕551 号）：https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2026/art_787f0441da1f4c0e8b5bad10118247f3.html
- 中国政府网转新华社·多部门详解科技兴商（2026-10-19）：https://big5.www.gov.cn/gate/big5/www.gov.cn/zhengce/202610/content_7083758.htm
- 中国旅游新闻网·”人工智能+文化和旅游”应用试点与 14 个项目（2026-10-19）：https://www.ctnews.com.cn/jujiao/content/2026-10/19/content_193392.html
- 法治网·意见四方面 18 条（2026-10-19）：https://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index/content/2026-10/19/content_9474912.html