Online government administration platforms have flourished, benefiting individuals and enterprises, and providing more convenient and efficient services.

A local citizen uses a government affair self-service terminal in Kelamayi, Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous regions. (Photo/Kelamayi  Daily)

The number of online government service users in China had reached 694 million as of March, up 76.3 percent from the figure at the end of 2018, according to a report issued by the China Internet Network Information Center.

Online government services have played an important role during the COVID-19 outbreak, said the report. During this period, the national integrated online government service platform has dealt with a total of 3.8 million government services, with 1.3 million handled online.

The national integrated online government service platform officially went into trial operation in November 2019. It currently has over 100 million registered users, with accumulated usage exceeding 4.5 billion.

Besides official websites, provinces in China have also explored new platforms such as apps and mini-programs to build service channels that better suit people’s needs.

By releasing authoritative information on online government service platforms, government departments can enhance interaction with the public and develop a new channel for social supervision.

Gu Pingan, professor at the public management research department of the National Academy of Governance, pointed out that mobile government services are expected to become the most vibrant government service platform.

With the widespread application of new generation information technology represented by blockchain and AI, online government service platforms will also move towards intelligent construction, Gu added.