Beijing's 12345 citizen service hotline has emerged as a vital platform connecting the city's sprawling population of over 20 million residents to efficient government services and solutions, showing the mega city's commitment to modern governance.
Launched in 2018, the unified hotline has integrated more than 60 separate service lines, allowing Beijing's residents to access help for a wide range of urban issues through a single, easy-to-remember number, 12345.
Since then, the hotline has handled an impressive 140 million cases on complaints and inquiries from the public.
The Citizen Hotline Service Center now employs more than 1,700 operators offering 24-hour services, achieving a 97 percent resolution and satisfaction rate.
"If we calculate based on an 8-hour shift, the average is to receive about 80 to 100 calls per person each day. During peak hours, the number of staff on duty has reached over 600 or even 700," said Liu Huan, a team leader of the hotline center.
Before 2018, the hotline received approximately 4 million requests each year. In early 2019, Beijing officially implemented a "Swift Response to Public Complaints" reform to handle complaints through the 12345 hotline as the main channel, resulting in 6.96 million requests being processed that year.
By 2023, the number of citizen requests handled reached 21.43 million, and this year, the figure is expected to reach 24 million.
"'Swift Response to Public Complaints' represents a sense of unwavering responsibility, reflect the public's aspiration for a better life, embodies swift and decisive actions, and demonstrates our commitment to taking concrete actions and responsibilities," said Shen binhua, deputy secretary-general of Beijing Municipal People's Government.
Beijing service hotline further improves modern governance
A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday slammed Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te over his latest remarks on cross-Strait relations, accusing him of promoting secessionism and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a press release that Lai's speech marking his second anniversary in office was "filled with lies and deception, hostility and confrontation."
Chen accused Lai of stubbornly adhering to a secessionist stance in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," while exaggerating the so-called threats from the mainland and intensifying confrontation across the Strait.
Lai played an old trick of advocating the secessionist agenda on one hand and, on the other, calling insincerely for dialogue and exchanges with the mainland, attempting to mislead people in Taiwan and deceive the international community, he said.
Chen said that these common tricks have been seen through by more and more Taiwanese people. Their deceptive and provocative actions will be met with firm opposition from compatriots on both sides and the international community, and are doomed to fail.
Reaffirming the mainland's position on the Taiwan question, Chen said Taiwan has never been a country, is not one now, and will never become one in the future.
He described the Taiwan question as a historical issue left over from a Chinese civil war in the 1940s.
No election result in Taiwan could alter the fact that Taiwan is part of China or sever the historical and legal bonds linking the two sides of the Strait, according to Chen.
The mainland would never allow any person or force to pursue secessionist activities under any pretext, he added.
Calling secessionists "the chief culprit" who undermines cross-Strait peace, Chen said the mainland would continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, unite broadly with Taiwan compatriots, combat secessionist activities, and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait.
Central government spokesperson refutes Lai Ching-te's latest remarks, warns against secessionist moves
