Xi'an showcases smart city governance model By CHEN MEILING | China Daily | Updated: 2026-04-30 09:02 Mayors and government officials representing seven countries shared insights on digitalization and efficiency in modern city governance at the recently concluded 2026 Global Mayors Dialogue in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. The participants from Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Oman, Iraq, Tunisia and New Zealand learned about Xi'an's experience through an on-site visit during the three-day event that ended on Wednesday. At the 12345 citizen service hotline center, participants learned about the round-the-clock model for receiving consultations, complaints, reports, assistance requests and suggestions from the public, and providing rapid responses through coordination among multiple government departments. In 2025, the hotline received about 5.8 million requests, with a case completion rate of 99.8 percent and a public satisfaction rate of 97.5 percent, according to local authorities. Elmoula Abdelbaki, director of municipal affairs of Tozeur Governorate in Tunisia, said the hotline features rapid response, quality service and high efficiency. "It fully embodies the people-centered governance philosophy and serves as a successful model for urban public services and grassroots governance," he said, adding that he hopes to introduce the model in Tunisia to improve civil services and enhance cooperation with China in grassroots governance. At the Xi'an traffic command hall, real-time road network data, traffic signal status, congestion points and police patrol trajectories were displayed on a giant screen, showcasing the city's smart governance system. Elsawy Abdelrahem, professor of philosophy at Benha University in Egypt and a coordinator for Egyptian-Chinese relations, said Xi'an has a sophisticated and widely applied smart mobility system with "remarkable achievements in traffic congestion relief, emergency rescue and public convenience services". Given the urgent demand for urban traffic development in Arab countries, he said there is a strong expectation for deeper cooperation with China in smart transportation.