Recently, the State Council published the Outline of the Plan for the Development of Social Credit Information System (2014-2020) (hereinafter referred to as the Outline) to speed up the development of a social credit information system (SCIS) and forge a public and economic environment that honors honesty and integrity. It is China’s first national-level special plan dedicated to the SCIS development.
According to the Outline, speeding up the development of SCIS lays an important foundation for comprehensively implementing the scientific outlook on development and building a harmonious society, and provides a significant means to improve the market economy, as well as to strengthen and innovate public security. It plays a vital role in enhancing integrity awareness of the general public, fostering desirable credit environment, upgrading the country’s overall competitiveness, and boosting the development of society and advancement of civilization.
The Outline emphasizes that we should press ahead with the development of SCIS in an orderly manner according to the principle of “government-driven and collaborative development, improving legal system for well-regulated development, coordinating overall arrangements with phased implementation, and securing breakthroughs in key fields while strengthening application.” By 2020, a system of fundamental laws, regulations and standards on credit information will be basically in place; a credit reporting system which covers the entire society and operates based on credit information sharing will be basically established; a sound regulatory system on credit information will be basically set up; an advanced credit service market system will be instituted, and a mechanism of incentives for honest behavior and punishment for dishonest behavior will be brought into full play.
Focusing on four key areas of government integrity, business and social ethics and judicial integrity, the Outline sets forth 34 tasks closely related to the immediate interests of the public and social and economic development, and puts forward three fundamental measures. First of all, it calls for efforts to strengthen integrity education and to develop integrity culture by promoting the culture of integrity, setting up examples of integrity, carrying out integrity-related theme activities and launching special campaigns to address integrity issues in key industries, so as to cultivate favorable public environment in which “honesty is honored, and dishonesty is disgraceful.” Second, it proposes to accelerate the development and application of credit information systems. A unified social credit code system for natural persons, legal persons and other organizations will be created. Cross-industry credit information connectivity and intra-regional credit information integration and application will be pushed forward. A nationwide mechanism for credit information exchange and sharing will be formed. Third, it brings forward the request to improve the operating mechanism of SCIS with incentive and punishment as its focus. A mechanism of incentives for honest behavior and punishment for dishonest behavior will be perfected. With these mechanisms in place, trustworthy entities will be able to enjoy favorable policies including priority access to services, streamlined procedures and “green channels”, whereas individuals and organizations with poor credit records will be subject to administrative, market-based, industrial and public constraints and punishment. A system of laws, regulations and standards on credit information will be established and improved, and a well-regulated credit service market be nurtured, so as to protect the rights and interests of credit information subjects and strengthen the management of credit information security.
The Outline also stresses that, to fulfill the goals, efforts should be made in the following five aspects. First, responsibilities should be solidly assumed. Second, policy support should be strengthened. Third, key projects should be carried out, including the project of administrative transparency, the project of rural credit information system development, and the project of credit information system development for micro and small businesses (MSBs). Fourth, efforts should be made to promote comprehensive demonstrations of local credit information system development, demonstrations of regional credit information system cooperation, and demonstrations of application of credit information in key fields and industries. Fifth, organizational support and coordinating mechanism should be improved.
(Source: www.gov.cn)
