Beijing's 12345 hotline handles 200 million requests in seven years
Beijing's 12345 Public Service Hotline has handled around 200 million requests from residents and businesses over the past seven years, becoming a key part of the Chinese capital's digital urban governance system.
Launched in 2019, the platform now processes more than 70,000 complaints and requests every day, with both resolution and satisfaction rates exceeding 97 percent.
Peking University professor Liu Gang said that for a megacity with a population of around 24 to 25 million, the system's ability not only to receive cases but also to follow up on them is particularly important.
He noted that conventional methods such as emails, service desks and telephone callbacks may work in smaller cities, but a city the size of Beijing requires a more advanced and highly digitalized public service system.
Liu also highlighted the value of the data generated by such services for academic research. Digital platforms can help researchers study how cities function, examine mobility and urban development, and explore ways to make cities more low-carbon and resource-efficient.
At the same time, the expansion of digital infrastructure creates new areas of research involving data centers, internet networks and other systems needed to support modern urban services.
According to CCTV+, Beijing's experience suggests that similar digital public service models could be adapted for other cities, although their effectiveness depends on governance structures, resource allocation and the willingness of local authorities to implement them.
