编者按：本宣言2021年9月3日发布于北京，系由“国信公链”的朱嘉明教授领衔团队所完成，并广泛听取了相关专业人士的意见。团队成员袁洪哲主持了该宣言的英文翻译工作。

首先，祝贺商务部和北京市人民政府联合举办2021年“中国国际服务贸易交易会”。会议所提出的“数字开启未来，服务促进发展”，正是当前世界经济与社会转型和全球化进入新阶段的关键所在。

国信公链（China Information Chain, CIC）借“中国国际服务贸易交易会”提供的讲坛，向与会者和各界朋友倡导创建和启动“国家主权公链”项目。

在总结过去三十年互联网历史，特别是十余年区块链的历史基础上，CIC认为，中国到了需要构建“国家主权公链”时刻。

这是因为，“国家主权公链”具有保护国家和公共资源、公共资产、公共利益和公共品的义务和能力。公共资源、公共资产、公共利益和公共品体现为物理形态和非物质形态，包括：广义的国土资源，空间资源，生态资源；人民生命基因和健康的信息；国有有形和无形资产；国家行政治理的信息资源；人民社会保障的核心资源；国家金融货币，包括主权数字货币；与国家和人民根本利益相关的法律资源；以及其他涉及国家安全和国防的信息和产品。所有这些，都属于“国家主权公链”覆盖范围。

这是因为，“国家主权公链”可以通过国家授权机构，通过区块链维护国家和人民的整体利益。而私有企业开发的任何形态的区块链，并不以代表国家长远利益，维护人民根本权益为举行义务和宗旨，具有制度性局限性。

这是因为，“国家主权公链”能够成为数字经济转型的新基础结构。中国的数字经济转型，不是几年、甚至十几年所能完成的，很可能是几十年的，几代人的事业。区块链是数字经济的重要基础结构，而“国家主权公链”则是“硬核”所在。

这是因为，“国家主权公链”可以置国家代表人民所管理的资源，永远处于透明和可追溯状态，避免被任何利益集团攫取，以及滥用和浪费，完善“智能合约”，消除长期存在的居高不下的“社会交易成本”，提高国家治理水平。

这是因为，“国家主权公链”可以支持建立自20世纪上半期人们一直试图建立的 “投入-产出” 宏观经济账本，满足这个账本所需要的完整、全面、精确和即时动态的数据，减少传统市场经济的波动性和局限性，为共享经济、普惠金融、社会财富的分配和再分配，实现共同富裕提供有效的技术范式和工具。

这是因为，“国家主权公链”有助于重构民众之间，民众与社区，民众与国家的稳定信任关系，赋予公民维护应有权益的依据，保障经济、社会和政治领域权力的公正。

这是因为，“国家主权公链”有助于提高国家和企业在未来世界竞争的能力，改善国家之间的经济和贸易关系，减少由于世界各国之间信息不对称导致的“贸易摩擦”。WTO需要向WTB演变，用区块链支持传统组织形态的升级换代。从根本上说，“国家主权公链”将帮助增强国际社会间的信任，提高国际间的合作质量，推动人类共同体的形成。

这是因为，“国家主权公链”有助于整合日新月异的科技创新成果，实现区块链与互联网，大数据，人工智能技术，以及量子科技的结合，改进算力革命，形成科技革命的叠加式能量，成为中国经济数字化的新动能。

CIC对于构建 “国家主权公链”充满信心，是因为：相比较世界其他国家，中国在区块链开发和应用领域具有综合优势，包括：区块链技术自主开发，区块链实验室，科研人员和申请专利数量和增长速度，区块链投资规模，区块链企业数量，特别是区块链在数字金融、物联网、智能制造、供应链管理、数字资产交易、碳达峰和碳中和等领域的广阔应用前景。

CIC对于构建 “国家主权公链”充满信心，还因为：在中国，区块链思想、理念和技术常识得到了前所未有的普及，并且纳入高等教育的课程，人才短缺的局面在不远的将来得以根本性解决。

CIC对于构建 “国家主权公链”充满信心，特别因为：自2019年10月24日，在世界范围内，中国成为将区块链技术创新和应用确定为国家发展战略的唯一的国家。

建立“国家主权公链”，并不意味着国家实现对区块链的垄断。恰恰相反，“国家主权公链”将继续区块链开源的原则和传统，支持各类公有链、私有链、联盟链和跨链的发展，在中国建立和形成一个具有区块链清晰分工的多元体系和健康生态。

今天，距离千禧年已经过去了二十年。2000年，联合国提出以“从极端贫穷人口比例减半”作为核心内容，以2015年为时间节点的“千年发展目标”。在“千年发展目标”到期之后，联合国再次提出2015年至2030年 “全球可持续发展目标”。在其中的17个可持续发展目标中，排前三位的消除贫困，消除饥饿，实现良好健康与福祉。2000年世界人口60亿，2015年73亿，2020年76亿，2030年85亿。全球的所面临的挑战是实现快于人口增长率的可持续发展。现在，距离2030年不足十年，全球仍旧有超过十亿的人口处于“多维贫困状态”。在全球存在贫困和饥饿的背后，则是各国之间与国家内部各地区之间的继续存在和恶化的“贫富差别”。这是世界动荡、冲突和危机的主要根源。
在过去二十年，人们曾经将消除贫困，缓和贫富差别，建立共享经济的希望寄托于基于互联网技术和信息经济。实践证明，互联网经济迅速发生“异化”，发生了严重的数据和信息垄断，加剧了“数字鸿沟”；2008年“世界金融危机”之后，人们再次寄希望于区块链技术打破传统货币资本体系，实现财富创新。但是，“区块链财富”再次异化，呈现了前所未有的“马太效应”。如今，2% 的比特币账号控制95%的比特币价值。这可能是“密码朋克”们始料不及的。

历史告诉我们，互联网和区块链技术的产生和发育，都处于传统的“资本”制度环境之中，不可避免地陷入“资本”逻辑，依赖 “资本”运行机制。以非主权加密数字货币为例，其价值最终需要通过传统主权数字货币，通过交易所作为中介得以实现，最终以美元作为价值的衡量尺度。所以，与其说加密数字货币挑战了美元霸权，不如说强化了美元霸权；与其说为草根民众提供了获得新型财富的路径，不如说为从未对区块链创新有过实质性贡献的传统资本集团提供了扩展财富的手段，使之成为最大的受益群体。

CIC创建“国家主权公链”的本质是人民“公链”，其人民性集中体现在实现最大价值共识，最低的社会成本和最大的社会效益。“国家主权公链”的终极目的就是要影响，甚至改变区块链重复互联网背离初衷的的历史走向，阻止区块链再次为资本所裹挟，打破通过数字技术差距所形成和固化的数字资本垄断，缩小数字鸿沟日益扩大的趋势。

今天世界所面临的困难和困境，新冠疫情，生态环境恶化，恐怖主义，经济衰退，文化冲突，终将过去，世界正在进入向一个平等、共享和效率的新的历史转折的关键时刻，苦寒拂晓之后的曙光已经出现。中国肩负着不仅要维系自己国家可持续发展，还要肩负对人类有所新贡献的历史责任。

CIC相信，“国家主权公链”将在这样的时代发挥其特有的功能和作用。因为有中国，因为有“国家主权公链”，世界区块链格局将发生历史性的改变，促进人民福祉的增加。

中国国信信息总公司
2021年9月3日
于 北京
 

The Declaration of Proposing the Foundation of
the National Sovereign Public Blockchain Programme

First, I would like to congratulate on the joint organisation by the Ministry of Commerce and The People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, of the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services. ‘Towards digital future and service driven development’, the slogan of the event, is precisely the key to contemporary world economic and societal transitions and globalisation’s stepping onto a new stage.

With the floor provided by the 2021 China International Fair for Trade in Services, China Information Chain (CIC) proposes to the event participants and members of the public the foundation and launch of its National Sovereign Public Blockchain (NSPB) Programme.

Based on the historical conclusion of thirty years’ course of internet, and especially over a decade of blockchain development, CIC determines that the moment is ripe that China is in demand of founding the NSPB.

That is because that the NSPB carries with it the obligation and ability to protect national and public resources, public assets, public interests, and public goods. Public resources, public assets, public interests, and public goods are presented in both physical and non-physical forms, including: land resources, outer space resources, and ecological resources; information resources for public governance; core assets for the national social welfare system; national monetary currencies, including the sovereign digital currency; legal and judicial resources pertaining to fundamental interests of the State and the people; and other information and products pertaining to national security and national defence. All these items fall squarely within the rim of the NSPB.

That is because that the NSPB is able to protect the national and public interests through authorised institutions by the State. A blockchain in any shape or form developed by a private entity, with its structural limitation, does not oblige itself nor make it as its ethos to represent the long-term interest of the State, or to stand guard over fundamental rights of the people.

That is because that the NSPB is able to be the new infrastructure for digital economy transition. China’s digital economy transition cannot be accomplished within a timespan over a few years or even one decade. It may be an enterprise that takes decades and generations. Blockchain is an important part of the digital economy infrastructure, and the NSPB is where the hard core lies.

That is because that the NSPB is able to place the resources administered by the State on behalf of the people, into a transparent and traceable state, away from exploitation by interest groups, abuse, or waste, eliminate the long existing transaction cost in our society, and improve on the quality of State governance.

That is because that the NSPB is able to support the establishment of an ‘input-output’ macro-economic ledger long attempted in the first half of the twentieth century, with the complete, comprehensive, accurate and live data that the ledger requires, reducing volatility and limitation in a traditional market economy, and offers an effective paradigm and tools for sharing economy, inclusive finance, distribution and redistribution of social wealth, and achieving common prosperity.

That is because that the NSPB is able to assist in rebuilding a stable trust relationship, be it person-to-person, person-to-community, or person-to-State. It provides a basis upon which citizens uphold their rights and interests, and maintains justice in the fields of economy, society, and politics.

That is because that the NSPB is able to aid in the nation’s and our enterprises’ ability to compete in the future, improving economic and commercial relationships between nations, reducing trade frictions deriving from information asymmetry. The World Trade Organisation has to transform itself to be the World Trade Blockchain, utilising the upgrading of traditional organisational structures through blockchain. Fundamentally speaking, the NSPB will help foster trust in the international community, quality of cooperation, and the formation of a community of common destiny.

That is because that the NSPB is able to assist in integrating ever-growing technological innovations, combining blockchain with internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and quantum technologies. It hones the revolution of computing power, forming the superimposed power from the technological revolution, and turning itself a new momentum for the digitisation of China’s economy.

CIC is fully confident on its NSPB Programme for this reason: compared to other countries, China has comprehensive advantages in blockchain development and application, including: the quantities and growths of independent blockchain development, blockchain laboratories, research and development personnel, patent filings, scales of investment in blockchain, and blockchain enterprises, and especially broad application scenarios in digital finance, internet of things, smart manufacturing, supply chain management, transactions in digital assets, carbon peak, carbon neutrality, and other fields.

CIC is fully confident on its NSPB Programme for another reason: in China, theories, concepts, and technological common know-how have attained unprecedented reception. They have been incorporated into course modules for higher education, and in so doing the dearth of local talents will be fundamentally resolved in the near future.

CIC is fully confident on its NSPB Programme for yet another special reason: since 24th October 2019, China has become the only country that makes blockchain innovation and application one of its national development strategies.

Founding the NSPB does not entail a State monopoly on blockchain. On the contrary, the NSPB will adhere to the principle and the tradition of open source in blockchain development, supporting a variety of public blockchains, private blockchains, consortium blockchains, and interchain solutions, to construct a diverse and healthy ecosystem with clear division of labour in blockchain.

Today is twenty years away from the second millennium. In 2000, the United Nations established the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) centred on materialising ‘halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1.25 a day’. Upon MDGs’ expiration in 2015, the United Nations established Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be accomplished before 2030. Among SDGs’ total seventeen goals, the top three goals are ‘no poverty’, ‘zero hunger’, and ‘good health and wellbeing’. In 2000, the global population was 6 billion; in 2015, 7.3 billion; in 2020, 7.6 billion; and in 2030, it will be 8.5 billion. The challenge that lies ahead is making sustainable development faster than population growth. Now is shorter than a decade away from 2030, and there are over a billion people in multi-dimensional poverty. Behind the global poverty and hunger is the continuing and deteriorating wealth inequality. This is the main root of global chaos, conflicts, and crises. 

In the last two decades, the hope for eliminating poverty, alleviating wealth inequality, and establishing sharing economy, was placed upon internet and information economy. It has been empirically evidenced that the internet economy rapidly entered alienation, with data and information monopolies, reinforcing the digital gap. After the Great Financial Crisis in 2008, the hope for breaking the traditional monetary capital system and ushering in wealth innovations was placed on blockchain technology. This time, the blockchain wealth starts alienation again and brings with it the Matthew effect to a scale previously unheard of. Today, 2 per cent of the bitcoin addresses control 95 per cent of total bitcoins. This may have gone beyond the wildest dreams of pioneering cyberpunks.

History tells us that the births and growths of internet and blockchain technology are situated in the traditional capitalist environment, flows with the capitalist logic, and depends on the capitalist mechanism. Taking non-sovereign cryptocurrencies as an example, their value is realised through traditional sovereign monies in crypto exchanges as intermediaries with evaluation in United States dollars. Therefore, cryptocurrencies strengthen, rather than challenging, the United States dollar’s hegemony; they expand ways and means to growing wealth for traditional capitalist groups contributing nothing substantial to blockchain innovation, rather than purveying routes to a new class of wealth for the grassroot populace.

The essence of founding the NSPB is founding a people’s blockchain, evidenced in its greatest common consensus, the lowest social cost, and the greatest social benefits. The ultimate objective of the NSPB is to influence and, if possible, change the course of the blockchain history that repeats internet’s betraying its original intent, halt the entrapping of blockchain by the capital, breaking the digital capital’s monopoly deriving from gaps in digital technologies, and reduce the ever-increasing digital gap.

The difficulties and predicaments faced by today’s world—coronavirus, ecological deterioration, economic downturns, and cultural conflicts—will eventually pass away. The world is treading into a critical moment that transits to a new history featuring more equality, sharing, and efficiency. We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. China is burdened not only with its own sustainable development, but a historical responsibility to contribute something new to humanity.

CIC believes that the NSPB will have its special place in our times. Because of China, and because of the NSPB, the global blockchain landscape shall change for good, for the public benefit.

China Information Corporation
3rd September 2021
Beijing