Chapter 6: Development of Online Government Services

In 2025, China's online government services entered a new stage of institutionalised and intelligent development. Progress in coordination systems, overcoming data barriers and improving service performance strengthened the digital foundations for a better business environment and modernised national governance.

1 Overall development

By December 2025, China had 940 million users of online government services, representing 83.5% of all internet users. Government data sharing and the use of artificial intelligence reduced burdens on frontline administration and improved efficiency during 2025, significantly advancing online government services.

Government data sharing supports better services and efficiency

The Regulations on Government Data Sharing came into force in August 2025. They define three categories of data-sharing standards, catalogue management and mechanisms for matching supply and demand. These measures remove institutional barriers to data flows across administrative levels and departments and reduce burdens on frontline administration. Hunan, for example, used a big-data hub for centralised sharing and promoted a "report only once" reform, reducing or eliminating repeated form filling through data sharing ^[94]. Yongchuan District in Chongqing upgraded its "One Form" system, reducing the average monthly number of report types handled at the grassroots level from more than 100 to just over 10 ^[95].

AI improves intelligent governance and service delivery

The Guidelines for the Deployment and Application of Large AI Models in Government were issued in October 2025, calling for the integration of AI into government services to improve governance and service management. The report then describes cities including Shenzhen introducing AI "digital employees" across 240 scenarios, including official-document processing and the routing of public requests. Document-review time was reduced by 90%, and the accuracy of routing public requests reached 95% ^[96]. Large AI models are shifting services from passively receiving requests to proactively anticipating needs, making services more precise and efficient and improving the public's experience.

Source chronology note: The report places the Shenzhen example after the October 2025 guidance, but reference 96 is dated February 2025. Both dates are retained; a causal sequence has not been independently established.

2 Development of the national integrated government service platform ^[97]

In 2025, the national integrated government service platform continued to act as the central hub for online and offline government services. It enabled more frequently used services to be completed online, by mobile phone and in a single process, making services easier and more intelligent and supporting priority initiatives under "Efficiently Completing One Matter".

1. Supporting sustained implementation of "Efficiently Completing One Matter"

In July 2025, the General Office of the State Council issued opinions on establishing a regular mechanism for advancing priority matters under this initiative, setting out measures to improve government services and administrative efficiency. Covering the full life cycles of businesses, from establishment to deregistration, and individuals, from birth to after death, four national batches of priority lists introduced 42 integrated matters. These include business relocation registration, new-vehicle registration, household registration following marriage and newborn registration.

Regions and departments used the integrated platform to connect systems, optimise procedures and share data, enabling more matters to be handled efficiently as integrated services. The national government service platform launched a dedicated area providing one-stop policy enquiries and online processing, moving services from merely available to easy to use. Regions also developed locally tailored matters and explored integrated service packages for particular population groups and industrial-chain development, extending departmental coordination and service integration.

2. Advancing large AI models safely and systematically

National documents, including opinions on further implementing the "AI Plus" initiative and the guidelines for large AI models in government, call for safe, prudent and orderly AI adoption. They envisage services that accurately identify needs, proactively plan assistance and handle processes intelligently from start to finish. Regions and departments are exploring coordinated, shared deployment. Jiangxi built the province-wide "Xiao Gan Shi" agent platform for shared use across departments and localities. Shenzhen introduced the "Shen Xiao i" AI government-service assistant, offering intelligent answers, guidance and processing assistance to improve efficiency for businesses and the public.

3. Delivering business-support policies more quickly and precisely

Regions used the integrated platform throughout the business-support policy service cycle. Data sharing, big-data analysis and AI assistance help match policies to eligible businesses and deliver benefits efficiently, replacing "businesses searching for policies" with "policies finding businesses". Shanghai built the "Sui Shen Dui" policy-service area on its existing one-network service platform. Connecting business processes and data flows simplified applications and enabled rapid access to benefits, including benefits provided without an application. Henan integrated business-related modules, including big data, the 12345 hotline and the "Four Guarantees" whitelist, into a platform for direct policy delivery and responses to business requests. It connects municipal and provincial departmental systems so policies are integrated through one network and requests resolved through one stop.

4. Improving shared and consolidated platform construction

In May 2025, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council issued revised regulations on practising economy and opposing waste in Party and government bodies. These call for preventing and correcting vanity projects in government services, and for interoperability, information sharing and collaboration among major government information systems. Regions and departments strengthened integration with service platforms and consolidated government-service apps to avoid waste and duplication. Hunan integrated existing mobile applications and service areas into "Xiang Yi Ban", gradually closing separate entry points to create a unified mobile gateway. Jiangsu required service applications to be integrated into "Su Fu Ban", prohibited new government-service apps below county level, and accelerated the migration and consolidation of existing general-purpose apps at county level and below.

5. Strengthening rules and standards for government services

Responding to initiatives such as "Efficiently Completing One Matter", one-network government services and "AI Plus", national authorities continued to develop regulations and standards to improve service quality and efficiency. The Regulations on Government Data Sharing establish a systematic administrative framework and clarify the rights and obligations of departments supplying and using data. The Measures for the Management of Electronic Seals strengthen the management and use of electronic seals and promote mutual trust and recognition across regions and departments, making business procedures easier and less burdensome. National standards covering the integrated government big-data system and government-service codes provide consistent, practical guidance for orderly data sharing and services accessed through a single code.

3 Development of government websites

3.1 Overall position and regional coverage

By December 2025, China had 13,395 government websites, mainly government portals and departmental websites. State Council departments and their internal and vertically managed bodies accounted for 540 websites. Administrative bodies at provincial level and below operated 12,855 websites across the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.

3.2 Government websites by administrative level

By December 2025, the 540 websites operated by State Council departments and their internal and vertically managed bodies represented 4.0% of the total. Provincial-level bodies, including autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government, operated 1,586 websites (11.8%). Municipal-level bodies and below operated 11,269 websites (84.1%).

3.3 Government website sections by administrative level

By December 2025, government websites at all administrative levels had 996,000 sections, mainly covering information disclosure, online services, and news and updates. Information disclosure was the largest category, with 905,000 sections (90.8%). News and updates was the next largest category, accounting for 6.1%.

^[98] Figure 53 covers only the three categories shown; other smaller section categories are excluded.

Translation note: Figure 53 is redrawn as grouped bars for readability. All percentages are retained as printed. The information-disclosure series totals 122.5%; the news-and-updates series totals 105.4%. The source does not explain these inconsistencies, so the values have not been corrected or normalised.

3.4 Homepage article updates by administrative level

In 2025, government websites at all administrative levels recorded 54.73 million homepage article updates. Provincial-level government websites accounted for the largest share, 49.6%, followed by municipal-level websites at 35.8%.

Chart labels retain the source's December 2024 and December 2025 comparison periods. The unit is 10,000 articles.

Sources and notes

[94] Hunan Provincial People's Government, 18 March 2025 (date as printed in the report). Source

[95] Banyuetan, 11 March 2025. Source

[96] Xinhua, 23 February 2025 (date as printed in the report). Source

[97] Material for the national integrated government service platform section was supplied by China Economic Information Service.

[98] Figure 53 covers only the three categories shown; other smaller section categories are excluded.