A Hondlon district civic hall staff member helps a resident make a self-service declaration for his businesses. [Photo/Baotou news network]

A 24-hour litigation service machine has been installed in the government affairs service hall of Hondlon district, to provide all-in-one help for members of the public. [Photo/Baotou news network]

A more convenient, simpler and friendly business environment has been introduced, encouraging enterprises to invest and develop rapidly in Hondlon district of Baotou city, located in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The commercial account of a Ms Yang, a local entrepreneur, was temporarily suspended by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Asia – located in China's Hong Kong – but the company urgently needed money to turn the business around.

After information verification on the official website, staff members at the Hondlon District Administrative Approval Center handled all the matters from 5:40 pm to 6:30 pm.

"I didn't expect the problem would be solved in less than an hour. You worked overtime to help me with my business and I'm really moved," said grateful Ms Yang.

Such a considerate service response is said to be just one example of the district's wider optimization of its business environment.

Hondlon has established a new method for the integrated handling of government affairs services. The number of work links has been reduced from 451 to 289, the processing time to register a business has been reduced to half a working day and the total number of associated business trips has been reduced from 880 to 147.

In addition, the district has set up a 24-hour self-service area and implemented online registration of businesses.

In all, Hondlon district plans to roll out 117 major projects this year, with a total investment of 108.23 billion yuan ($17 billion).