China releases development plan for software sector

BEIJING -- China on Tuesday unveiled a development plan for the software and information technology services sector during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

The country aims to develop more than 1 million industrial applications by 2025, and foster a competitive edge in software for key industries such as finance and construction, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said.

The plan also details measures to support companies in the sector, with the goal of cultivating more than 100 companies with operating revenues exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.57 billion) by 2025.

The country will also build open source communities with international influence and improve the pricing mechanism for software, the plan says.