On March 15th, the “Shenzhen-Dongguan Cross-Border Integration Service Zone” was launched, and the signing ceremony of the “Shenzhen-Dongguan Cross-Border Integration Cooperation Agreement on Government Services and Data Management” was held in Dongguan. With the support of the “iShenzhen" and “iGuanjia” mobile applications, the service zone has currently integrated nearly 70 high-frequency government service items in areas such as medical insurance, social security, and household registration. After the launch, it will significantly improve the convenience of citizens in both Shenzhen and Dongguan to handle affairs.
“The deepening cooperation in government services and data management between Shenzhen and Dongguan is of great significance for implementing the coordinated development of regions in the new era, promoting the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and forming a regional economic layout of complementary advantages and high-quality development.” Wei Wentao, a member of the Party Committee of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Government Services and Data Management, expressed. He encouraged both places to further deepen comprehensive cooperation in industries, talents, and scientific research, promote the integration and development of all elements, adaptively develop “new quality productivity”, and make new and greater contributions to serving the high-quality development of the province’s economy and society.
The service zone goes online: one App handling affairs in both places
In order to further meet the needs of residents and businesses from both Shenzhen and Dongguan for handling affairs and living in different places, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Government Services and Data Management and the Dongguan Bureau of Government Services and Data Management are collaborating closely to promote “provincial-wide access” of government services, thereby helping to enhance the level of construction of the “Digital Greater Bay Area”.
At the ceremony, the governmental data management bureaus of Shenzhen and Dongguan signed the “Cross-Border Integration Cooperation Agreement on Government Services and Data Management between Shenzhen and Dongguan”. This signifies the formal establishment of a collaborative linkage mechanism between Shenzhen and Dongguan, continuously deepening the construction of Digital Guangdong, and jointly creating more exemplary achievements in government services and data applications. It is understood that this is the first comprehensive cooperation agreement signed by the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Government Services and Data Management with an external municipal government data management department. It also marks the first strategic cooperation established by the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Government Services and Data Management with an external municipal government data management department after the institutional reform.
On the same day, the launch ceremony of the “Shenzhen-Dongguan Cross-Border Integration Service Zone” was also held. As an important part of the integration between Shenzhen and Dongguan, the service zone was launched and began trial operation simultaneously on the “iShenzhen” and “iGuanjia” mobile app platforms. It covers various sections including lifestyle services, personal affairs, business affairs, talent services, community service maps, cultural life, urban information, and more.
In the Shenzhen section of the “iGuanjia” app, the lifestyle services section has launched convenient services such as electronic medical insurance vouchers, travel codes, subway routes, and hospital appointments. With just one app, residents can use QR codes for public transportation and medical appointments in both cities.
The personal affairs section provides services for citizens such as social security, household registration migration, motor vehicle services, real estate, etc. The business affairs section includes services for industry permits and filing, as well as company deregistration registration services. The talent services column offers popular services such as file status inquiries, filing service guides, and hiring of recent graduates.
In the “iShenzhen” app, after citizens click on the “Dongguan Special Zone” on the homepage, they can conveniently access commonly used services such as social security, affairs handling, household registration, and transportation.
Collaboration between “iShenzhen” and “iGuanjia” saving a lot of time and effort
“The cooperation between Shenzhen and Dongguan is an important measure to implement the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area strategy and the construction of the Shenzhen metropolitan area. It is also a key step in promoting the equalization of public services in both regions, which is of great significance for creating a first-class business environment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. A relevant official from the Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Government Services and Data Management stated that they will provide high-quality, efficient, and convenient government services for the residents’ lives and business development in both cities according to the contents of the agreement, continuously expanding the breadth, depth, and convenience of government services in Shenzhen and Dongguan. This will allow more residents and businesses in both cities to benefit from the reforms and improvements in Shenzhen and Dongguan.”
Taking the transportation between Dongguan and Shenzhen as an example, in the “Shenzhen Special Zone” of the “iGuanjia” app, Dongguan residents are provided with a travel code. With just one app, Dongguan residents can use the code for transportation, achieving seamless travel between Dongguan and Shenzhen.
“The Shenzhen section of the ‘iGuanjia’ app has many functions, among which the bus QR code and metro routes are very convenient. With just a click, you can ride the Shenzhen metro, making travel very reassuring.” Mr. Lin, a resident of Dongguan, often commutes between Dongguan and Shenzhen due to work. He is gradually becoming familiar with the service functions of the Shenzhen section and looks forward to more applications being implemented in the future.
For example, to meet the needs of Shenzhen residents in Dongguan, citizens can access the “Dongguan Zone” within the “iShenzhen” app. Through the “Appointment Service” and “Service Hall” sections, they can quickly find government service halls, party and mass service centers, self-service points, and other government service locations throughout Dongguan.
“Now the ‘iShenzhen’ app has a Dongguan zone, where you can find the nearest government service hall. Following the service guide, you can quickly get things done. The service is efficient and considerate, saving a lot of time and energy.” Ms. Fan from Shenzhen praised the newly launched “Shenzhen-Dongguan Cross-border Integration Service Zone” and appreciated the convenience measures provided for Shenzhen residents coming to Dongguan. “Functions like cloud-based tourism and flood-prone area queries are also very practical.”
The relevant person in charge of the Shenzhen Municipal Administration of Government Services and Data Management expressed hope that Shenzhen and Dongguan would engage in closer cooperation on a broader scale and with more practical measures. They emphasized focusing on the needs of enterprises and the public, continuing to promote cross-border integration between Shenzhen and Dongguan, and further advancing the construction of Shenzhen’s “Smart Friends’ Circle”. This cooperation aims to add more momentum to the economic and social development of both areas, bring greater convenience to the people’s production and life, create a demonstration effect for the construction of the “Smart Friends’ Circle”, and contribute wisdom to the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Deepening cross-domain integration activates “data elements ×”.
As early as 2019, Dongguan included “Shenzhen-Dongguan government service interoperability” as a key area of cooperation with Shenzhen. In recent years, the two cities of Shenzhen and Dongguan have taken Songshan Lake as a pilot area, and through various channels online and offline, they have comprehensively promoted integrated development, accelerating the construction of a business environment integrated with the Greater Bay Area.
Currently, Dongguan has established and launched the “Bay Area Service” section on the gdzwfw.gov.cn (Dongguan), which includes 221 “online services” items from Shenzhen.
Leveraging government service self-service terminals, 242 Shenzhen-related services can be processed self-service in Dongguan, with nearly 8,000 transactions completed in 2023.
The Dongguan Civic Service Center, Songshan Lake, Binhaiwan New District, and the government service halls in nine towns in the southern region have opened “cross-city service” windows, facilitating the processing of 421 Shenzhen-related matters on behalf of Dongguan.
The signing of the cross-border integration cooperation agreement between Shenzhen and Dongguan is a deeper and more comprehensive collaboration built on the foundation of previous friendly exchanges between the two cities’ governmental data management bureaus. The agreement proposes higher requirements in terms of enhancing online and offline service supply capabilities, improving the efficiency of cross-city services, integrating information infrastructure systems, promoting the interconnection, sharing of data resources, and leveraging the “data elements ×” effect. This lays a more solid foundation for further deepening the cross-border integration between Shenzhen and Dongguan.
It is worth noting that in the future, Shenzhen and Dongguan will explore more cooperation in the field of data elements. By jointly building a solid digital foundation, strengthening data sharing and circulation, promoting the development of data element aggregation, and fully unleashing the value of data elements, they will contribute to the high-quality development of the province’s economy and society.
