An expat volunteer mediates a dispute in a dedicated meeting room in the Jimingshan residential community in Yiwu. [Photo/WeChat account: yiwufb]

Home to 1,380 expats from 74 countries and regions, the Jimingshan residential community in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, recently made a list of "future community" candidates from across the province.

Staff in the Yiwu community have been working to upgrade administrative services with the help of advanced digital technology.

In April, an apartment owner surnamed Liu withheld a 5,000-yuan ($782) deposit that had been paid by an expat tenant when he found that the air conditioner had stopped working when the expat checked out. The expat was irritated by the move, resulting in a dispute.

Having heard of a mobile app called "International Laoniangjiu" run by the community staff, Liu logged into it and completed an application for mediation in less than one minute. A foreign mediator immediately contacted Liu and the expat and solved the dispute quickly.

Similar cases can be seen throughout the community every day, involving things such as hospital bookings, business policy inquiries, and applications for social welfare.