The Ministry of Public Security launches the online missing children information distribution platform in Beijing on May 15, 2016. [Photo: mps.gov.cn]

An online missing children information distribution platform has been launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Security and China's tech giant Alibaba Group.

Anti-human trafficking police across China will release information immediately after a child is reported missing on the platform. And the information will then be distributed via mobile applications such as navigation maps and the platform's Weibo account, the Chinese version of Twitter.

The aim is to ensure that the public have access to the necessary information needed to help police and other authorities find missing children as soon as possible.

Liu Zhenfei is the Chief Risk Officer with Alibaba.

"We are going to work with the criminal investigation department under the Ministry of Public Security to make their work more accurate and efficient. Imagine one day if a child went missing - the information would be released immediately at nearby bus stations, railway stations and airports. With the help of surveillance cameras, we would be able to identify the missing child. This is where technical support is needed."

A statement from the criminal investigation bureau of the Ministry of Public Security says more than 5,000 anti-trafficking police will provide updates to the app as soon as they get reports of missing children.

The scope of these push notifications will be expanded over time.

Chen Shiqu, from the criminal investigation department of the Ministry of Public Security, explains more.

"Once a child goes missing and the local public security department releases the information to the public, the information will reach every application user within a radius of hundreds of kilometers in just a few seconds. Those who have receive the information will then be alerted to be on the look-out for abnormal situations around them, and call the police if they see the suspects."

Chen reveals that the Ministry has established an information distribution mechanism in cooperation with Sina Weibo and AutoNavi, a Chinese digital mapping service.

He added that the Ministry is aiming to find more partners to join the police in developing the information distribution platform.