Rural areas will benefit from internet expansion

With the boom in mobile internet and the popularity of affordable smartphones, Chinese rural areas will embrace the next wave of internet dividends in the next decade, said Yao Jinbo, CEO of China's largest classified online marketplace 58.com Inc.

"The internet will not only make urban life better and more convenient, but also helps revitalize rural areas and achieve big strides in rural development," said Yao, also a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress. The remarks came on Friday during an interview from the sidelines of the two sessions.

"With better mobile network coverage and the popularity of smartphones, people living in rural areas will enjoy localized services online, such as online shopping and searching for jobs," Yao added.

Starting this year, the company plans to build online classified platforms that enable local services covering more than 40,000 towns and townships. It aims to narrow the gap between cities and rural areas. Under the plan, each town will have one classified online platform.

"Smartphones are becoming farmers' new tools, helping lift productivity," Yao added. "We hope farmers will have access to a variety of local services via smartphones in the future." Yao noted the company will recruit at least one director for each town's classified online platform to collect local information.