Loading ...As of today, every Chinese citizen must use a new Digital ID for every single transaction, no exceptions. From now on, you can’t buy food, ride the subway, or even access the internet without it.
Answer
No — that claim is false. China’s new Cyberspace ID system (also called “Digital ID” or “National Online ID”) officially launched on July 15, 2025 and is currently voluntary for citizens csoonline.com+15loc.gov+15mobileecosystemforum.com+15. It is designed for internet use only, not in-person activities like buying food, riding the subway, or offline payments sfg.mediaen.wikipedia.org. Real‑name verification using your resident ID card or phone number has long been mandatory online under existing laws — this new system replaces those methods for online services, but it is not yet compulsory for everyday physical transactions mobileecosystemforum.com+2article19.org+2en.wikipedia.org+2.
In summary: there is no “credit reset” forcing a new digital ID for every transaction. For now, offline daily life transactions remain the same.