China issues guideline to boost e-commerce in rural areas

BEIJING  -- China has rolled out a guideline to advance the high-quality development of e-commerce in its rural areas, said the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) on Wednesday.

The guideline was jointly issued by nine departments, including the MOC and the Cyberspace Administration of China.

The move aims to ride the emerging digital economy wave to establish a new development pattern and improve rural consumption and the income of rural residents, the MOC said.

The guideline proposes 14 detailed policies in six aspects, including building a multi-level rural e-commerce comprehensive service platform, accelerating the construction of a modern logistics and distribution system, and fostering diversified new e-commerce entities in rural areas.

The MOC said it will help facilitate construction of county-level live streaming e-commerce bases, amid the country's efforts to comprehensively promote rural revitalization.