E-government in action as public and business services used online

The Shanxi Big Data Center, operated by Cloud Era Technology, supports Shanxi's online administrative service system. [Photo by An Xiaoyi for China Daily]

Digitalization can play a crucial role in increasing administrative efficiency and improving the business environment because it can offer round-the-clock administrative services and allows information sharing for people in any place and anytime.

This is the case in Shanxi province, which is innovating its governance and administrative services with the extensive use of technologies including big data, cloud computing, blockchain and artificial intelligence.

After years of development, Shanxi has witnessed a boom in the construction of e-governments at various levels and regions, with online administrative service platforms achieving full coverage, from provincial to village levels.

Despite the achievement, the authorities of Shanxi have recently renewed efforts to accelerate province-wide e-government construction. The focus is on building a unified online administrative service system that integrates resources and realizes interconnectivity among various regions and government institutions, according to Hu Xingcai, an official at the Shanxi Administrative Approval Services Bureau.

Hu said that the online administrative service systems in Shanxi are now integrated under the scheme of "one bureau, one center and one company".

He said the "three ones" refer to the Shanxi Administrative Approval Services Bureau, the Shanxi e-Government Service Center and Shanxi Cloud Era Technology Company.

While the company offers technological and infrastructure support and the center offers guidance, appraisal and big data services, the bureau is providing one-stop administrative services by integrating functions of government institutions at provincial level and various regions inside Shanxi.

"In the past, administrative approval involved procedures related to various government institutions in different regions," Hu said. "But all these can be handled by logging onto the e-government portal of Shanxi, based on which the bureau is offering services relating to business applications, registration and approval, as well as civil affairs."

The official added that the e-government platform has now realized interconnectivity among 114 provincial-level institutions and a number of institutions at city, county and township levels.

At present, about 91 percent of administrative procedures at provincial level and more than 83 percent of procedures at county level can be handled online.

Hu said such an online system offers great efficiency in terms of saving time and allowing cross-region handling of applications and registrations.

Shanxi has also made progress in implementing the interprovincial handling of 209 administrative service items, according to the official.

An Xiaoyi contributed to this story.