A smartphone with Ride-hailing apps Didi Chuxing, Dida Chuxing and Cao Cao Mobility Photo: VCG

China’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) has said that it has nothing to do with a new transport platform called Qiangguo Jiaotong, according to media reports on Thursday, as the new app sparked widespread attention online. 

Domestic news website jiemian.com reported that it has learned from the MOT that “the matter has nothing to do with the Ministry of Transport and the information is wrong.” 

The ministry did not reply to the Global Times enquiry as of press time on Thursday. But the report on jiemian.com has been widely circulated on Chinese online news websites, including thepaper.cn.

On Wednesday, some media reports said that the MOT and Xuexi Qiangguo, an app for people, especially Party members, to learn about Party theories and news on political affairs, have jointly launched a platform called Qiangguo Jiaotong, which is the first national-level transportation platform in China, covering car-hailing, freight, water transportation, shipping and other services.

The reports drew widespread attention both in China and abroad. In the A-share stock market, the intelligent transportation sector saw many stocks set off a wave of daily limit on Morning trading session on Thursday.

The platform has just completed internal test on Monday and is ready to be rolled out online, according to a report on thepaper.cn.

After the official launch of Jiaotong Qiangguo, the platform will provide car-hailing services first for registered users of Xuexi Qiangguo. Notably, its added feature of “helping the elderly to hail a car” by phone will greatly facilitate the travel of the majority of elderly users, according to media reports.  

Meanwhile, the platform will provide customized travel services for employees of key centrally-administered state-owned enterprises and institutions to protect user data security and personal privacy to the utmost extent, reports said.

The platform has so far had access to dozens of online car-hailing companies, equipped with relatively sufficient capacity and abundant vehicle models. It will later be connected to major internet platforms such as WeChat, Alipay and Douyin.

The Global Times found that Qiangguo Jiaotong has not been officially launched inside the Xuexi Qiangguo app. There are only three applications in the app’s transport sector: China Eastern Airlines, Qiangguo electric vehicle and LY.com.

News about the platform soon sparked discussion online with some social media users saying that if the platform is truly a national level one backed by relevant departments, it could help solve the disorderly expansion and data security issues that have existed in the industry for a few years. At the same time, some users expressed concerns, saying the concentrated resources might lead to monopoly.

In recent years, China has stepped antitrust and other efforts to promote the sound and sustainable development of online platforms, including online ride-hailing firms, and protect consumers’ privacy and data security. Chinese officials have also repeatedly vowed support for the online sector.

Earlier this week, Chinese ride-hailing firm Didi said that with the approval of the Cybersecurity Review Office, new user registration on "Didi Chuxing" will resume immediately, adding that it has carried out a comprehensive rectification on the security issues found in the review, and will take effective measures to ensure platform safety and data security, as well as safeguard national cyberspace security.

Global Times