As the G20 Summit is approaching, residents in the host city Hangzhou are being reassured by a strengthened security system.

Intensive road traffic controls, toughened security checks in the subway, a strict policy of hotel guests needing to show ID to check in, and real-name registration for express deliveries have all contributed to an increased sense of safety in Hangzhou.

The local police department has set up 172 road check points at entrances to the city. The police check vehicles, people and cargo entering Hangzhou. Drivers and passengers are required to show driving licenses and identity cards, and goods should go through x-ray scanners.

On the subway, security staff manning 53 check points checked a total of 25 million people and 20 million packages in July, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The government has stressed to hotels that they must review and record all guests’ IDs when checking them in. Receptionists must also make enquiries of guests to probe for anything suspicious. The police have been ensuring that hotels follow this policy. One was fined 100,000 yuan (15,000 US dollars) for not checking guests’ identification in accordance with the Anti-terrorism Law of the People's Republic of China, in the first such case in Hangzhou.

Anyone sending a package by express delivery in the city has to use their real name on the forms used for the service. Packages from outside Hangzhou are being opened to check their contents before they are allowed to enter the city. Police have also been encouraging residents to hand in potentially dangerous items like gas canisters to make neighborhoods more secure.

Most residents in Hangzhou support strengthened security for the G20 Summit, since the system also ensures their safety. As evidence, officials point to a year-on-year decline of 55% in the number of reports of criminal activities filed in July.(Edited by Nian Yao)