BCI Enters China’s Top-Level Policy Document
Brain-computer interface technology was formally included in China’s 2026 government work report for the first time, placing it alongside quantum technology, 6G communications, and embodied artificial intelligence as an officially designated “industry of the future.” The report, delivered during the annual National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference sessions in March, stated that mechanisms would be established to increase funding and share risks in these fields.
The inclusion represents an escalation from earlier policy signals. In July 2025, seven central government bodies released guidelines establishing BCI breakthrough targets by 2027. The government work report sits a tier above ministry-level directives — it is the annual policy blueprint approved by the full legislature, and its language shapes budget allocation and provincial implementation for the year ahead.
Political Figures Signal Urgency
Several prominent delegates used the two sessions to push for faster BCI development. Ming Dong, a CPPCC member and vice president of Tianjin University, predicted “explosive development” for the sector in 2026 but warned that talent training cycles remain long and called for forward-looking strategic planning in workforce development.
Kenneth Fok Kai-kong, an NPC deputy from Hong Kong, proposed a national demonstration project focused on large-scale application of BCI technology to assist people with disabilities, with five-year targets for intelligent prosthetic deployment.
Yao Dezhong, an NPC deputy and director of the Sichuan Institute of Brain Science, offered a more measured assessment, placing China in the “international first tier, though not in the leading position.” He highlighted core bottlenecks including dependence on imported semiconductor components for neural interface devices — an echo of the broader chip supply concerns that have shaped Chinese industrial policy since 2022.
Clinical Programmes Multiply Across Cities
The policy momentum coincides with expanding clinical activity. Medical institutions in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, and other cities have established dedicated BCI clinics or clinical research wards. Applications span disease diagnosis, motor rehabilitation, and neuromodulation treatment for conditions including Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.
In Chongqing, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University conducted a BCI-assisted stroke rehabilitation session on 26 March using non-invasive brainwave-wearable systems. Chen Yangmei, the hospital’s director of neurology, described the work as part of a broader effort to translate laboratory BCI research into routine clinical care, though published outcome data from these programmes remains limited.
The clinical expansion follows the National Medical Products Administration’s landmark decision in March to grant marketing approval to Neuracle Technology’s implantable BCI device for patients with spinal cord injury-related paralysis — the first such commercial approval in China.
Context Within China’s BCI Push
China’s approach to BCI development follows a pattern familiar from its campaigns in electric vehicles, solar energy, and telecommunications: coordinated top-down industrial policy, insurance integration, and parallel clinical validation across multiple centres. BCI procedures received a standalone medical insurance reimbursement category in parts of the country during 2025, removing one of the largest barriers to patient adoption.
The government work report inclusion adds legislative weight to what has until now been a ministry-driven effort. For international BCI companies, the signal is that China’s competitive position in neurotech is not a temporary research initiative but an embedded element of national economic strategy, backed by the country’s highest policy-setting body.