Beijing’s 12345 Hotline: A Model for Urban Governance and People-Centered Solutions . .

Srabon Das Hridoy

How a hotline solves the problems of Beijing’s people . .
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-- Beijing, a megacity with a permanent population of over 21 million, has a hotline, always ready to listen to the voice of every ordinary person, see everyone’s plight, and help realize every dream. A hotline is being used in the city to listen to thousands of real demands! With a benefit for the megacity administration, it has provided Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to global urban governance.
The question is, how does this hotline work? What can it help the public? Details will be in today’s program.
The hotline was launched in 2018. It has integrated more than 60 separate service lines. As a result, Beijing residents can get help for problems across the city through a single, easy-to-remember number--12345. The number 12345 means ‘dial the government number when needed’. That means you can get help from the government whenever you need it. Since then, the hotline has handled an impressive 140 million cases!
A team of more than 1,700 operators work around the clock. The hotline is designed to respond to the diverse needs of Beijing's vast population. Beijing's population is more than double that of New York and covers an area nearly 20 times larger.
The number of operators on duty is adjusted in real-time based on the volume of calls. In order to provide efficient service.
Using intelligent technology, the hotline system classifies 2,000 types of problems, which enables operators to quickly send requests to relevant municipal departments, districts, police stations or community-level personnel. Call transcription and database integration further enhance efficiency, allowing operators to quickly create work orders.
"Through intelligent technology, we have significantly improved the speed of work order input, enabling us to quickly dispatch work orders."
Once a resident’s call is complete, their request is forwarded to frontline units within minutes. Many problems are then resolved through grassroots community workers, who provide direct assistance or act as intermediaries to find solutions.
With millions of cases handled in the past five years and thousands of calls received every day, the Beijing 12345 hotline has become a vital resource for residents, providing effective solutions to everyday challenges.
The 2024 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints is being held from December 18 to 19. The forum is an international platform dedicated to exploring innovative, practical solutions to public service issues. It highlights Beijing’s successful experience.
The Beijing municipal government said it has improved the process of handling requests from foreigners, integrating them into the ‘quick response to complaints’ system to improve efficiency and effectiveness. It has actively coordinated with specialized agencies such as the National Immigration Administration to meet their needs.
For example, there is an international website in nine languages ​​to launch services for expatriates. This platform offers digital and scene-based services related to life in Beijing. Including culture, tourism, and even some government services. Accessed through the website, foreigners can report any problems they encounter in their urban life in Beijing through the platform. Ensuring smooth communication is part of Beijing's international multi-language service.
The successful operation of Beijing's 12345 hotline is a portrait of Chinese modernization. It reflects the deep-seated concept of the socialist modernization path with Chinese characteristics, such as people-centered, information-driven, grassroots governance, etc. As many countries around the world are exploring their own modernization paths, the experience of Beijing's 12345 hotline has provided valuable Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions for the modernization of global urban governance.
In short, the Beijing 12345 service hotline is not only a microcosm of the modernization of Beijing's urban governance, but also a microcosm of China's characteristic modernization. It has demonstrated the unique spirit and global significance of China's characteristic modernization to the world, and has contributed valuable Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the modernization of global urban governance. China is playing an increasingly important role in global governance. Therefore, we hope that the experience of Beijing's 12345 hotline will provide more wisdom and strength for the modernization of global urban governance . .