Chinese programs win awards at Smart City Expo in Barcelona

The Fourth Smart City Expo World Congress closed in Barcelona on the evening of Nov 19. Two programs from China were nominated for smart city awards after two months of review.

The smart city expo world congress committee announces two Chinese programs as winners of smart city awards at the ceremony on Nov 19. [Photo provided to China Daily]

One of the award-winning programs is about the mobile public service platform "Beijing services you", which is undertaken by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology and Beijing's governmental website.

The other one is about the e-government affairs cloud platform of Hengshui city, North China's Hebei province, which is launched by Hebei's electronic governmental affairs institution and Hengshui people's government.

Launched by Hebei's electronic governmental affairs institution and Hengshui people's government, the Hengshui municipal e-government affairs cloud platform is nominated for a smart city award this year. Dong Zhenguo (left on the screen), director of the website management center of Hebei people's government, gave a speech at the congress while receiving the award at the closing ceremony on Nov 19. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Liu Xu, vice director of Beijing Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology and Dong Zhenguo, director of the website management center of Hebei people's government gave speech at the congress.

Under the theme of improving the application of electronic governmental affairs, Dong talked about the guidelines, experience, and difficulties of building an e-platform.

Dong Zhenguo delivers a speech at the smart city expo world congress panel discussion on Nov 19. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese programs have been involved since the second congress in 2012. The exhibitors have communicated with the world about Chinese constructional experience and have also brought advanced and diversified ideas back to the country, which boosts a mutual development and technology innovation in the global smart city industry.

China Daily interviewed Dong about the award-winning program. Below is the dialogue between the two.

Q&A | Dong Zhenguo

Do you have any suggestions on dealing with these challenges?

We should strengthen top-level design, which can sort out and break institutional obstacles, and push forward coordinated, healthy and rapid development of e-government affairs. Good top-level design and top-down enforcement can ensure funding and talent supplies as well as orderly organization and coordination work, all of which are very effective measures for challenges.

What do you think contributes the most to the past success?

Execution ability, including organization, coordination, fund allocation, leadership and a talented team.

The provincial e-government affairs organization (provincial government website management center) has played a coordinating and boosting role in building the e-government affairs system and website. The leading role of the Hebei government's general office has ensured the success of our coordination work in the project.

The great attention given by leaders at all levels to e-government affairs is also an important factor in our success. The leaders are at one on the positive role of e-government in building a service-oriented government. We also owe our success to smooth fund allocations, personnel training, professional talent transfer, expert support and team cooperation.

How do we measure the reward for our efforts?

Growth. The growth of ourselves, our team and work. Everything was strange to me when I entered the department, and my understanding of e-government affairs only scratched the surface. Now, I can do my job with skill and ease after ten years of work. In addition, the friends I have known and made are a fortune in my life.

Our team has more than 20 people, and I helped some of them grow and make their way to important leading posts, including two county deputy secretaries, three deputy county chiefs, two secretaries of provincial officials, and a bank science and technology supervisor. I'm also proud of the growth of my team.

The e-government work has gone from office automation to informationization and electronization, and I've been a part of the process. We established the Hebei government website and its management center, as well as Hebei e-government affairs research association, and compiled the Hebei E-government Affairs Annals during the ten years that I've been in charge of e-government work. All of these achievements are closely connected to our hard work, and I think they are the best reward for our efforts.