Huawei Builds Blockchain Platform to Help Beijing Government Manage People’s Data

Chinese tech conglomerate Huawei has set up a blockchain-based platform for the Beijing government to better track and manage its citizens’ data in everything from medical records and property registration to real-time vehicle parking status.

• Huawei’s cloud services branch has enabled the project with blockchain technology such as smart contract and distributed ledgers, according to a report by state media People’s Daily on Monday.
• The Beijing government project is part of China's “New Infrastructure Initiative” to transform digital governance with blockchain so data can be immutable and shared among different government agencies.
• The Beijing government project aims to leverage the blockchain platform to make data shareable among more than 50 agencies within the municipality.
• The new platform will help the government monitor coronavirus cases, streamline the process for people to register their real estate and find parking spots for local citizens in real time.
• Huawei, as the poster child of Chinese tech, has met with heavy scrutiny and political resistance from the western world.
• The U.S. has barred Huawei’s major semiconductor suppliers from selling chips to the company, while both the U.S. and U.K. have banned local telecom companies from using Huawei’s 5G devices and technology for national security reasons.
• The move also echoes the Chinese central government’s shift toward boosting domestic demand for emerging technology and services as techno-nationalism rises and the global market weakens.