Inspection to improve new social credit plan

A nationwide inspection of the country’s social credit system will be conducted to ensure honesty in government affairs, commercial dealings, societal integrity and legal proceedings.

According to a working plan recently released by the central government, 19 areas will be targeted during the upcoming inspection, including telecom fraud, environmental pollution, illegal medical services, fixing of athletic contests and legal irregularities.

Other social problems that have garnered widespread public attention — such as unpaid wages, academic dishonesty and poverty alleviation fraud — will be in focus as well.

To guarantee the inspection achieves optimal results, the names of all leading officials and departments involved in the campaign will be made publicly available.

“A severe attitude should be taken toward violators of social ethics. The aim of the inspection is to raise awareness of integrity and the level of trustworthiness in Chinese society,” according to the working plan.

It also emphasized that the construction of a social credit system should be hastened and should allow cross-reference of credit scores of major sectors, enterprises and individuals in order to help build a reward and punishment mechanism throughout society.

“Such a mechanism will play a leading and powerful role in spreading social values that encourage people to gain better credit and be cautious not to violate social ethics,” the plan said.

Also, it aims to raise public awareness of the importance of trustworthiness in Chinese society. Various activities will soon be held nationwide to publicize the system.

In 2014, the State Council, China’s Cabinet, issued the Planning Outline for the Construction of a Social Credit System (2014-20).

The system, which has been practiced in pilot cities like Shanghai, will collect online data to rate citizens and enterprises’ integrity, and reward or punish them accordingly.

The higher the credit score or creditworthiness of an individual or enterprise, the greater chance they will have to expand their influence and attract more clients.

Discredited individuals and enterprises will face restrictions in such activities as applying for loans and travel privileges.

The system is set to be in place for all Chinese citizens and businesses by 2020.