Director of the National Bureau of Statistics Liu Liehong: Increase investment in the data sector and cultivate market awareness for paying for high-quality data

On September 20th, during the opening speech of the 2025 World Manufacturing Conference, Liu Liehong, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the National Development and Reform Commission and Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of the National Data Bureau, mentioned that data has become the foundational resource and innovation engine for the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry, and the multiplier effect of data elements is accelerating release in various industrial scenarios. Liu Liehong stated, "In the process of digitalization, everyone places a high level of importance and investment enthusiasm on large model computing power, but the emphasis and investment in data are still insufficient, and the market awareness of paying for high-quality data is not strong enough." Based on this, Liu Liehong suggested that, first, increase investment in the data field. Manufacturing enterprises should value the development and utilization of data resources just as they do for technological research and development and equipment updates, increasing investment throughout the entire process of data acquisition, storage, computing, management, and utilization, accelerating the construction of high-quality data sets in the industry, and assisting the implementation of "Artificial Intelligence +" in industries and enterprises. Investment in the data industry should be strengthened, actively cultivating various types of data experiences, including data resources, technology, services, applications, and security infrastructure. Second, cultivate market awareness for paying for high-quality data. Just as with purchasing advanced equipment and introducing high-end technology, a consensus on paying for high-quality data should be formed, vigorously cultivating the data element market, allowing data to be used in circulation, and to appreciate in value during use, truly forming a good situation where data is supplied, flows, is well utilized, and is kept secure. Third, jointly prevent and eliminate involution-style competition, as involution-style competition negates the benefits brought by digital transformation. Some enterprises, especially leading enterprises with strong digital capabilities, need to return to a development model driven by innovation and data