Seventeen Chinese provinces including Shandong and Zhejiang have enacted legislation to label government cars. Some have even installed global positioning systems on the cars and established service platforms to further reform their management.

“These measures serve as milestones in the process of reform,” said Huang Huang, associate professor at the Peking University School of Government. Huang added that, combined with new technologies, the measures not only demonstrate governments’ resolution in reform, but also embody the transparency of government work and strengthened public supervision.

It is now a convenient and efficient process to apply to use a government car, as the application can be completed via mobile phone or computer, an official noted. The reform was successfully implemented in central and state organs by 2016. It is also being carried out in businesses and public institutions.