BEIJING, July 26 (Xinhua) -- More than 70 percent of online petitions in China have been completed via cell phones, as available in 30 provincial-level regions across the country, according to the State Bureau for Letters and Calls.
In the first half of 2018, more than half of all petitions in China were submitted online, the bureau said during a meeting on Wednesday and Thursday.
Petitioning, also known as "letters and calls," is China's administrative system for hearing public complaints and grievances. In China, petitioners generally see injustices in areas including land acquisition, education and environmental protection, among others.
Online petitioning became available in China in July 2013. From July 2016, Chinese people could submit petitions via cell phone, and two months later they were able to do so on WeChat, China's most popular online social network.
Shu Xiaoqin, head of the bureau, said efforts should be made to make the platform for online petitioning more smarter and resolve the public complaints.
The bureau will continue a number of tasks, including optimizing the information system for petitions, improving petitioning procedures such as registration, handling and supervision, and solving longstanding problems.
