Beijing’s 12345 hotline sets pace in citizen-centred urban governance

Beijing’s 12345 hotline sets pace in citizen-centred urban governance

China’s Beijing 12345 Hotline Citizen Service Centre is emerging as a model of technology-driven urban governance, placing residents’ needs at the centre of public service delivery.

Journalists from Global South countries expressed admiration for the facility on Monday after visiting its headquarters in the Chinese capital.

The Voice Media Trust (VMT NEWS) reports that the centre operates a 24-hour, non-emergency public service platform connecting residents and businesses with government departments, sub-district authorities and public utilities.

It receives questions, complaints and requests for assistance from thousands of people daily, using digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency.

The platform integrates phone calls, text messages, photographs, videos, sign language and multiple languages, ensuring that people with different communication needs can access public services.

Each complaint or request is registered as a case, enabling officials to track concerns, direct them to appropriate departments and monitor responses.

AI also supports case assignment, quality control and data analysis, helping authorities identify recurring problems and improve decision-making.

Webster Clayeh, President of the Reporters Association of Liberia, said the provision of sign-language services particularly impressed him, describing accessibility for persons with disabilities as an important lesson for African countries.

“To see this centre providing service for people with disability, it was amazing for me,” he said.

Clayeh also highlighted the integration of different government departments within one operational framework, which he said demonstrated the benefits of coordinated service delivery.

Apenisa Waqairadovu, a senior multimedia journalist with the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation, similarly praised the arrangement, noting that requests were received centrally and channelled to the relevant departments for action.

“Everything is brought under one roof, dealt with there, and then distributed to the relevant departments to deal with it right away,” he said.

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Jacky Achan, a multimedia journalist from Uganda, said the centre’s commitment to serving everyone, regardless of background or circumstances, was among her major takeaways.

She observed that digital tools helped ensure that complaints were captured and routed for attention, reinforcing the principle that public services should be accessible to all.

“It’s not just for a specific group of people, it’s for everyone,” she said, describing the centre as a demonstration of inclusive governance.

Mark Longyen, an editor with the News Agency of Nigeria, said Nigeria could explore adapting the model to strengthen communication between citizens and public institutions.

“How can China help Nigeria develop a similar thing? How can we replicate it?” he asked.

Longyen said a responsive system capable of addressing everyday concerns could make urban life easier, strengthen public confidence and demonstrate the practical value of technology in governance.

The centre’s development reflects Beijing’s efforts to consolidate public feedback into a coordinated mechanism for identifying problems, responding to complaints and improving municipal services.

In 2019, the city integrated more than 60 separate hotline services into the unified 12345 platform to make it easier for its approximately 21 million residents to seek assistance.

Since its establishment, the hotline has handled about 200 million cases involving individuals and businesses, with reported resolution and satisfaction rates exceeding 97 per cent.

CGTN correspondent Wang Hao said the visit offered the journalists an opportunity to consider how public feedback could contribute to more responsive urban administration.

He said the value of the experience lay not in copying China’s system wholesale, but in examining how cities could adapt its principles to local conditions and use citizens’ voices to inform better decisions.