Users can submit their national ID, mobile phone number or another form of identification such as a unified social credit code, a unique company registration number.
Cheng said he proposed the registration change because telecom and internet fraud was rampant, posing serious threats to public security and social stability.
“Fraud syndicates use a large number of internet accounts, phone applications and other technology for scams,” Cheng said.
“Although mobile phone numbers that have been used in frauds can be cancelled, [criminals] can continue their criminal activities with the associated internet accounts [under the existing registration system].”
Chinese authorities have claimed some success against phone and cyber scams, saying that in the year to November, 391,000 phone frauds were stopped across the country, a 5.7 per cent increase year on year, according to the Ministry of Public Security.
And in his annual report to the NPC on Tuesday, top prosecutor Zhang Jun said China had prosecuted 193,000 criminals for phone scams in the past five years.
In addition, the Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law took effect in December, establishing a basic management system for SIM cards and financial and internet accounts, as well as penalties for the illegal sales, leasing and loan of those accounts.
The law also requires telecommunications business operators, banks and financial institutions, non-bank payment institutions, and internet service providers to establish internal risk prevention and security systems, and to check and verify, and shut down fraudulent accounts and cancel those phone numbers.
Cheng also suggested upgrading fraud-related blacklists, and forming a national anti-fraud big data platform across government departments including public security, finance, telecommunications and internet management to combat scams.
This week, a new National Data Bureau was established as part of a sweeping overhaul of government institutions under the State Council.
It will take over many responsibilities from the Central Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, including the “coordination and promotion of the construction of data infrastructure”.
