On May 16, the General Offices of the State Council and Central Committee released new guidelines to promote "digital villages." These state the plan is to increase internet access in rural areas and that by 2020, 4G internet will be accessible in over 98% percent of villages nationwide. By 2025, the urban-rural "digital gap" is to see a notable narrowing. By 2035, urban and rural areas should receive equal public services. The guidelines said “More efforts will be made to boost the rural digital economy, with wider use of digital technologies in agriculture and the development of e-commerce and various emerging creative industries in rural regions.”

(Comment: This push for "rural revitalization is one of Xi Jinping's biggest initiatives of the second term and is leading to increased investment in rural areas – especially in infrastructure.)