Huawei, Tencent, and Baidu come together to develop standards for China’s metaverse industry

China's

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology

(MIIT) has formed a working group, intending to develop standards for the metaverse industry. The members of the group include individuals from Huawei Technologies, Tencent,

NetEase

,

Baidu

, Ant, and Lenovo. Additionally,

MIIT

officials and researchers from

Peking University and Fudan University

are also part of the group.

The "metaverse" broadly refers to a virtual three-dimensional world that has gained popularity in recent years.
In September, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) proposed the creation of a working group to oversee the healthy and orderly growth of the metaverse industry by enforcing standard regulations. The regulator warned that the sector faced ethical and security challenges that needed to be addressed.
Beijing is focusing on establishing itself as a leader in the emerging field of metaverse technology. Last year, five authorities unveiled a plan to support the growth of at least three metaverse companies that will have a global impact by 2025.

Chinese local governments have made the development of the metaverse sector a priority, including Beijing's Tongzhou district, which aims to incorporate more than 100 metaverse-related firms by the end of this year.
Shanghai has also announced plans to establish both government-backed and private funds to support metaverse development. The first fund, established in late 2022, raised an initial sum of 1 billion yuan (US$140 million).

This group would be responsible for establishing and maintaining a set of industry standards for the metaverse, promoting these standards, and training employees. In addition to focusing on domestic standards, the group would also encourage local companies and institutions to become more involved in international standard-setting activities.