Editor’s note
Establishing law-based governance serves as a cornerstone for modernizing national governance. In recent years, Dongguan has launched innovative initiatives addressing corporate and public needs, vigorously advancing law-based governance. Starting today, Dongguan Daily is launching the special column “Building a law-based government,” focusing on the work of relevant departments to explore in depth cases that are the “first of their kind in the country” or “promoted across the province.” Using reform cases as entry points and the sense of gain among citizens and enterprises as indicators, the column will showcase Dongguan’s innovative practices in leveraging the rule of law to safeguard and drive high-quality development. Stay tuned for forthcoming features.
In the heart of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a government service reform driven by digitalization is reshaping urban governance efficiency. As a key front in the national initiative to build a model law-based government, the Dongguan Municipal Bureau of Government Services and Data Management has taken “digital government” as a breakthrough point, pioneering a series of innovative reforms at both the provincial and national levels. By replacing “people running errands” with “data running online” and resolving service bottlenecks through “scenario-based reconstruction,” the city is enabling businesses and citizens to truly experience the tangible outcomes of building a law-based government.
“One-window comprehensive service” counters operating efficiently
Government-tax synergy breaks barriers: Process revolution enables “one-window comprehensive service”
In the past, cross-departmental procedures forced citizens into repetitive trips and redundant submissions. Take deferred social insurance payments for retirees: applicants had to visit human resources, healthcare, and tax offices separately—making at least two trips with duplicate paperwork. In 2023, Dongguan’s Government Service & Data Administration partnered with the Municipal Tax Bureau to pioneer Guangdong’s first integrated government-tax platform, launching the revolutionary “one-window comprehensive service”.
By streamlining 21 tax-related matters (covering 49 specific scenarios) and building a unified knowledge base for the 12345 government service hotline and the integrated service window, high-frequency services such as social insurance contribution declarations have been incorporated into the comprehensive government service window. This enables a process of “unified front-desk acceptance, categorized back-end approval, and unified window issuance.” From the launch of this model in December 2023 to April 2025, a total of 88,311 deferred social insurance contribution cases for retirees have been successfully processed, reducing nearly 60,000 in-person visits by citizens.
The key to this reform lies in system integration and data sharing. The city’s integrated government service platform has been connected with the tax authority’s Golden Tax Phase III system, allowing back-end staff to avoid redundant data entry. As a result, the accuracy rate of information has improved from 85% to 99%, and processing time has been reduced by an average of 40%.
Pre-approval services across the entire chain: Proactive guidance enhances service experience
“Unclear service guides and confusing procedures” used to be common challenges for businesses and the public. In December 2023, Dongguan took the lead in the province by implementing a pre-approval service system, shifting the “service gateway” forward and creating an all-scenario navigation service.
Pre-approval service areas have been established at both the municipal and township levels in government service halls, staffed with professional service guides who offer full-process assistance, including needs consultation, process planning, preliminary material review, and channel recommendations. For example, in the case of “retirement procedures,” the integration of multi-department workflows has reduced the number of required documents from 17 to 7 and shortened the processing time from 30 working days to as few as 2. Since the implementation of pre-approval services, the average waiting time for citizens has decreased from 10.1 minutes to 6.88 minutes.
The “pre-filing” mechanism is another significant innovation. Through the integrated hotline and service window position on the 12345 hotline, citizens can upload materials in advance and book appointments. Taking the road test for online car-hailing drivers as an example, the proportion of applicants needing to make a second trip due to incomplete materials has dropped from 20% to 3%.
Instant e-guarantee processing: Digital empowerment boosts transaction efficiency
In the public resource trading sector, traditional paper-based guarantees face issues like lengthy processing cycles and difficulty in verifying authenticity. Dongguan introduced an “e-guarantee + e-payment instruction” model, enabling bidders to participate “without leaving their desks”. This approach has been recognized as a pioneering reform case in Guangdong Province.
The trading system interfaces directly with banking and insurance institution systems. Bidders can now complete the entire process—from application and issuance to cancellation of guarantees—online, slashing processing time from 3 working days to mere seconds. The system also automatically links guarantee data with bidding projects, monitoring potential bid-rigging activities.
By May 2025, Dongguan achieved a 71.84% adoption rate for e-guarantees, cumulatively reducing corporate capital occupation by 33.326 billion yuan. A total of 494 enterprises on the “Creditworthiness Red List” received a 10% fee reduction. Furthermore, the “E-Guarantee Data Standards for Public Resource Trading”—spearheaded by Dongguan—became Guangdong’s first local standard in 2024. This enables fully “contactless, paperless, and fully traceable” online e-guarantee submissions by bidders.
Behind the reforms: Standardization and intelligentization fortify legal foundations
Dongguan’s government service reform is anchored in “standardization” and “intelligentization” as its core pillars. Regarding standardization, Dongguan has enacted 23 local administrative service standards, covering areas such as the “one-window comprehensive service” itemized lists and pre-approval service post specifications. This effectively transforms reform experiences into institutionalized norms.
In intelligent applications, leveraging platforms like the “i莞家” government service platform and self-service terminals, the city has established a “10-minute government service circle”. All 607 village (community) Party-Mass Service Centers now deliver comprehensive administrative services. By 2024, 98.7% of government service items became available online, making “contactless approval” the norm. Blockchain technology enables cross-departmental mutual recognition of electronic certificates, collectively eliminating the need for citizens to submit over 1.2 million paper documents.
Dongguan pioneered the “Pre-approval services + One thing for retirement” reform, winning first prize in the team category at the inaugural Guangdong Provincial Government Service Skills Competition
The rule of law logic: Reforms embody service-oriented governance
Dongguan’s government service reform stands as a vivid demonstration of rule-of-law governance. It combines self-disruptive breakthroughs in dismantling departmental barriers with precision insights into public needs, embodying the principles of “statutory authority, due process, and efficient public service” inherent in law-based governance. In 2024, Dongguan achieved a 96.3% satisfaction rate for government services—a 12.5-point increase from pre-reform levels—while reducing business registration time to 1.5 workdays and cutting construction project approval timelines by 40%.
From “one-window comprehensive service” to “pre-approval guide”, from “e-guarantees” to “instant services”, Dongguan has pioneered a “Dongguan paradigm” for rule-of-law governance—driven by public demand, powered by digital technology, and anchored in legal frameworks. Moving forward, Dongguan will continue pioneering the digital governance frontier, transforming every government service interaction into a showcase window for law-based administration.
