China Daily Brief
China Daily Brief
Policy & RegulationAnalysis

China Plans "Agent Internet" Infrastructure for AI-to-AI Interaction

Four government departments aim to integrate traditional internet resources with autonomous AI agent technologies.

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The Brief

Four Chinese government departments have announced plans to explore the construction of "Agent Internet" infrastructure. This initiative focuses on typical scenarios such as Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication, seeking to build a foundational network for large-scale AI collaboration. By integrating traditional internet resources—including domain names, IP addresses, and identification resolution—with emerging AI agent technology, the policy aims to establish a standardized physical and logical basis for the next generation of the internet.

Why it matters

This policy marks a strategic shift toward planning the underlying architecture of the internet for the artificial intelligence era. The construction of an Agent Internet could provide the necessary standards for autonomous AI systems to work together, potentially transforming internet traffic structures and interaction models from human-centric to agent-centric.

China context

Led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), this move aligns with China's broader strategy to secure a first-mover advantage in next-generation internet standards. It leverages existing infrastructure, such as the national identification resolution system, to anchor new AI capabilities within a regulated and interoperable framework.

Editor's View

EDITOR'S VIEW — Analysis and inference, not factual reporting. While the concept of an "Agent Internet" may seem futuristic, the focus on infrastructure suggests a pragmatic approach to standardization. China is essentially attempting to build the "DNS for AI," ensuring that as agents become more autonomous, they operate within a structured environment rather than fragmented silos. This could streamline industrial automation and cross-platform services, but it also raises questions about how these autonomous entities will be governed and identified.

What to watch

  • The release of technical white papers or industry standards specifically for agent interconnection.
  • The role of state-owned telecom operators in building and maintaining this new network layer.
  • Pilot programs in specific smart cities or industrial sectors to test Agent-to-Agent scenarios.

Key Takeaways

  • 1Four Chinese departments are exploring the construction of 'Agent Internet' infrastructure.
  • 2The initiative focuses on Agent-to-Agent (A2A) interaction as a primary use case.
  • 3The plan involves integrating domain names, IP addresses, and identification resolution with AI agents.
  • 4The goal is to provide a standardized physical and logical foundation for large-scale AI collaboration.
Four Chinese government departments have issued a directive to explore the development of "Agent Internet" infrastructure, signaling a national-level effort to adapt the country's digital foundations for the age of artificial intelligence. The policy specifically targets typical scenarios such as "Agent-to-Agent" (A2A) interactions, moving beyond the traditional internet models designed primarily for human-to-machine or human-to-human communication. Central to this initiative is the integration of core internet resources—such as domain names, IP addresses, and identification resolution systems—with emerging AI agent technologies. By embedding these agents into the existing internet protocol stack, the government aims to provide a standardized environment for AI collaboration. This infrastructure is intended to serve as the physical and logical basis for autonomous systems to discover, authenticate, and communicate with one another without constant human intervention. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is expected to play a leading role in this rollout, coordinating with other departments to ensure that China’s internet infrastructure remains competitive. As AI applications shift from simple chatbots to complex, multi-agent systems that can execute tasks across different platforms, the need for a dedicated networking layer has become more acute. If successful, the "Agent Internet" could fundamentally alter how data flows across the web. Instead of human users navigating websites, AI agents could autonomously negotiate and exchange information using a dedicated infrastructure layer. This could significantly increase efficiency in sectors such as industrial manufacturing, finance, and logistics, where multiple AI systems must coordinate in real-time. However, the transition will require significant breakthroughs in interoperability and the establishment of new protocols to manage the identity and permissions of autonomous agents.

Tags

#Technology#Artificial Intelligence#Policy#Infrastructure