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China Advances the Development of Six Major Infrastructure Networks to Support High-Quality Growth
A Coordinated Approach to Modern Infrastructure Development
In 2026, China further strengthened its policy focus on modern infrastructure development. At a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on April 28, 2026, policymakers called for stronger planning and development of six major infrastructure networks: water networks, new-type power grids, computing power networks, communications networks, logistics networks, and urban pipeline networks.
The National Development and Reform Commission subsequently indicated that China would accelerate the preparation of relevant plans and implementation measures, clarify investment priorities, and establish annual targets and implementation schedules.
These Six Networks represent more than six separate categories of infrastructure. Together, they form an integrated framework designed to improve resource allocation, strengthen connectivity, enhance operational efficiency, and support the coordinated development of the real economy and digital economy.
1. From Individual Infrastructure Projects to Integrated Networks
Each of the Six Networks serves a distinct but interconnected purpose.
Water networks support water resource allocation and supply security. New-type Power Grids facilitate energy transition and electricity transmission. Computing power networks support the development of artificial intelligence and data-intensive industries. Communications networks improve information connectivity, while logistics networks facilitate the efficient movement of goods and support economic circulation. Urban pipeline networks strengthen essential urban services.
As industrial digitalisation, energy transition, and urban infrastructure renewal accelerate, the interdependence of these systems is becoming increasingly evident.
For example, computing infrastructure requires reliable electricity supplies and high-performance communications networks. The large-scale development of renewable energy depends on power grids with stronger transmission, balancing, and integration capabilities. Meanwhile, urban infrastructure projects increasingly require coordinated planning across electricity, communications, drainage, and other underground utility systems.
The objective of the Six Networks strategy is therefore not simply to expand infrastructure capacity. It is to improve planning coordination, technical integration, operational connectivity, and resource utilisation across different sectors.
2. New-Type Power Grids as a Foundation for Energy Transition
Among the Six Networks, New-type Power Grids play a particularly important role in connecting energy production, transmission, regulation, and consumption.
As wind and solar power continue to expand, power systems are undergoing significant changes in generation structure, load characteristics, and operational requirements. The variable output of renewable energy, together with the growing integration of distributed generation, energy storage, and electric vehicles, is creating new challenges for grid operation.
New-type Power Grids are expected to strengthen cross-regional electricity transmission, improve the integration of distributed energy resources, and enhance system flexibility. Greater coordination among transmission networks, distribution networks, and intelligent microgrids will help accommodate a more diverse range of power sources and loads.
Digital technologies, including intelligent sensing, data analytics, and smart dispatch, can further support coordinated operation across generation, grid, load, and storage resources. These capabilities may also facilitate the development of emerging business models, such as virtual power plants, vehicle-to-grid interaction, and energy data services.
Together, these developments are expected to improve renewable energy utilisation, optimise electricity allocation, and strengthen power supply security.
3. Infrastructure Investment and Industrial Collaboration
The Six Networks initiative covers multiple sectors and involves substantial investment, long construction cycles, and complex coordination requirements. The development of implementation plans and investment priorities is expected to provide a clearer framework for project planning and execution.
The value of infrastructure development, however, extends beyond construction expenditure. It also lies in its potential to support equipment manufacturing, digital technologies, energy services, engineering, and infrastructure maintenance.
In the power sector, for example, grid modernisation requires not only transmission lines and substations, but also electrical equipment and supporting technologies capable of meeting the requirements of renewable energy integration, energy storage, and intelligent operation.
This creates a growing need for equipment that offers high reliability, strong adaptability, and compatibility with increasingly complex power system configurations.
For electrical equipment suppliers, industry demand is therefore evolving from the provision of individual products toward a broader emphasis on application-specific solutions, technical compatibility, operational safety, and lifecycle support.
4. Technological Innovation for High-Quality Infrastructure Development
China’s Six Networks strategy emphasises coordinated planning, integrated development, resilience, and sustainable operation. These priorities highlight the importance of technological innovation alongside physical infrastructure construction.
In the power sector, areas attracting industry attention include ultra-high-voltage transmission, distribution network modernisation, energy storage integration, power electronics, and intelligent monitoring.
As renewable energy penetration increases, the industry must address several key questions: how to maintain power system stability under changing operating conditions, how to improve equipment reliability in demanding environments, and how to coordinate different levels of the power network more effectively.
Addressing these challenges requires close collaboration among equipment manufacturers, engineering organisations, technology providers, and power system operators.
DKNC will continue to monitor developments in China’s modern infrastructure strategy and the evolution of New-type Power Grids, keeping track of technological progress and emerging industry requirements to support informed industry exchange and collaboration.
Conclusion
China’s Six Networks initiative reflects a broader shift in infrastructure development, from individual projects toward integrated systems that connect energy, digital infrastructure, urban services, and logistics.
As implementation progresses, coordination between energy networks, digital infrastructure, and traditional public infrastructure will become increasingly important. Technological innovation, operational reliability, and industrial collaboration will remain essential to improving infrastructure performance and supporting high-quality economic development.
Sources:
National Development and Reform Commission, National Data Administration, Xinhua News Agency, CCTV.
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