China Names Liu Liehiong, CEO of China Unicorn as Head of Newly Formed National Data Bureau

Based on four sources, China intends to appoint Liu Liehong, the CEO of state-owned telecoms giant China Unicom, as the head of its new national data bureau, putting him in charge of efforts to make the country a digital superpower.

According to the sources, Liu, 54, an electronics and information technology veteran who also serves as China Unicom's chairman, will take over the National Data Bureau in the coming days.

In March, China announced plans for the data bureau as part of a major government reshuffle. Its responsibilities will include planning China's digital economy, sharing and developing the country's data resources, promoting smart cities, and facilitating the exchange of information resources across industries.

Its establishment is part of President Xi Jinping's vision of a "digital China," in which data is managed alongside labour and capital as a key economic driver. The country has also tightened data security regulations, imposing new restrictions on areas such as information exports.

China unveiled a plan in February to lead global digital development by 2035.

According to three sources, the bureau will be a vice-ministerial level regulator, putting it on the same level as China's National Anti-monopoly Bureau, whose status was elevated in 2021 during a heavy antitrust crackdown.