Credibility is on the line in point system

Beijing will soon set up a platform to inform the public about the credibility of people, enterprises, social groups and institutions.

The municipal government's action comes after a major fatal blaze in Daxing district and a child abuse case at a kindergarten last year exposed faults in the social credit system, which uses points to establish trustworthiness.

"It is a move to regulate the bad behaviors of departments and people," said Mao Dongjun, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology. "Beijing will create a better business environment to improve competitiveness."

The fire in the capital's southern Daxing district in November that killed 19 people raised public concerns about potential safety hazards. The city then launched a safety campaign and within five days inspectors had reported finding 25,309 hazards.

Several days later, a child abuse case in the RYB kindergarten Xintiandi branch in Chaoyang district ignited parents' anger over children's safety. In December, a female teacher surnamed Liu from the kindergarten was arrested after the procuratorate accused her of using needles to "discipline" children.

To prevent similar cases, the capital carried out special supervision to ensure government institutions obey their duties.

According to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology, 143,000 people have been restricted from taking airplanes and high-speed trains due to losing credit points.

"We will step up the establishment of credit regulations and accelerate the legislative process in Beijing," Mao said.

People can log onto www.creditbj.gov.cn to follow up on the behavior of departments and people who provided false materials.