The National Data Administration just got its inaugural director
Finally!
On Friday, the State Council announced the appointment of Liu Liehong, erstwhile chairman of state telco giant China Unicom, as the director of the newly formed National Data Administration NDA).
Some context: The government announced the creation of the NDA back at the Two Sessions in March, following a period of consensus building that development of data resources is critical to China’s economic prosperity.
Liu is an experienced choice to lead the shiny new agency. Prior to leading China Unicom, he held senior positions at the industrial regulator (MIIT), and at the CAC before that.
- CAC and MIIT are on different sides of the data governance ecosystem, with CAC focused on security and MIIT working mostly on development.
Fun fact: Liu was also the youngest ever vice minister at MIIT.
Even more importantly, during his short, two-year tenure at Unicom, he presided over a successful expansion into the data business:
- In 2022, the SOE’s industrial internet business expanded 28.8% y/y, which helped push overall operating income up 8.3%.
- He also pushed aggressively into government projects, undertaking construction of big data platforms for 15 ministries and 12 provinces, as well as digital government projects in 31 provinces.
In short: This is a guy who believes in the data economy mission, and knows how to get things done.
- Based on his CV, its difficult to imagine a more qualified candidate for this post.
Get smart: With Liu in place, work on the construction of the NDA can get going in earnest – and we expect things will move quickly.
- Xi Jinping wants the NDA to up and running by the end of this year.
- Look out for key announcements, like staffing plans, in the next few months.