While national-level legislation involving emerging industries is currently being promoted, local regulations to help solve problems in new sectors have been formulated in recent years, according to official reports.

Last month, an annual report on the rule of law in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, showed that the formulation of rules overseeing emerging industries was made a top priority last year by the Shenzhen people's congress and its standing committee, the local legislative body.

In response to people's concerns about the protection of personal information and the development of the digital industry, the legislature produced a data regulation that restricted the processing of biometric data and regulated the use of services that employ facial-recognition technology, which could pose security risks.

Although it strengthens data security monitoring and allows people to initiate public-interest lawsuits if they discover that their personal information is being used improperly, the regulation also requires the reasonable use of public data to promote the growth of the digital industry.

After some disorderly conduct involving bike-sharing services, the Shenzhen legislature made a regulation that imposed certain provisions on the total number of bikes offered, operating models, service charges, parking and maintenance to help ensure the healthy development of the industry.

The standing committee of the Shanghai people's congress, the city's legislative body, has also attached importance to dealing with problems related to new businesses through the formulation of regulations, according to a report by the Shanghai Observer, a local news outlet.

In 2021, the city's legislature passed the country's first provincial-level data regulation, providing legal support for data-driven innovation and the urban digital transformation, the report said.

Last year, the legislature began formulating a regulation on advancing the development of artificial intelligence in order to make Shanghai a global hot spot for AI, it said.

Meanwhile, according to the bureau of justice in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, a guideline to improve the quality of service for express delivery and postal businesses came into effect in the city in November to ensure that parcels are delivered in an orderly, efficient way, especially during online shopping galas.

It revealed that about 30 percent of legislative items promoted in the city last year focused on emerging businesses, noting that relevant industry surveys and studies have been conducted by lawmakers and government departments.