The ministry released a draft proposal to form a working group for the metaverse, shared virtual worlds accessible via the internet, on Monday.
The proposal said that the metaverse is one of the nine emerging tech sectors which China should strive to establish standards for.
"[The metaverse industry] faces many challenges," the MIIT said, "It is urgent to promote healthy and orderly development of the metaverse industry through standardization and guidance."
It added that the metaverse industry suffers from a lack of clear definitions, which had allowed some capitalists and companies to drum up speculation in the market.
Reporting by Josh Ye in Hong Kong and Beijing newsroom, Editing by Louise Heavens and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Refik Anadol, Tyrone Siu, Josh Ye, Louise Heavens, Emelia
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Art, REUTERS, Tyrone, Rights, China's Ministry of Industry, Information Technology, Thomson
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Hong Kong, China, Rights BEIJING, Beijing