China Reviews 7-Year Digital Village Drive Ahead of 15th Five-Year Plan

The Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have jointly published the "China Digital Countryside Development Report (2019–2025)." The review assesses seven years of policy execution under the 2019 Digital Countryside Development Strategy Outline, coinciding with the concluding phase of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the milestone year for its second-stage objectives. Highlighting advances in smart agriculture, rural digital governance, and information infrastructure, the document outlines baseline experiences and sets strategic guidance for rural digital development during the forthcoming 15th Five-Year Plan period.

The report functions as Beijing's formal review of its medium-term rural digitization roadmap, marking the transition from initial digital infrastructure rollout to deeper economic and administrative integration. Its conclusions will directly inform the drafting of digital agriculture, rural governance, and data infrastructure targets under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030).

The Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have released the "China Digital Countryside Development Report (2019–2025)," providing a comprehensive assessment of the nation's efforts to digitize rural areas over the past seven years. According to the report, 2025 serves as both the concluding year of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the target deadline for achieving the second-stage benchmarks laid out in the 2019 Digital Countryside Development Strategy Outline. Regulators framed digital village initiatives as a strategic priority rooted in China's national and agricultural conditions, intended to harness information technology to advance comprehensive rural revitalization, accelerate the development of an agricultural powerhouse, and support common prosperity. The review states that institutional mechanisms and foundational infrastructure for digital countryside development have steadily matured since 2019. Over this period, authorities observed measurable progress in the deployment of smart agriculture technologies, the expansion of new digital commerce formats in rural areas, the growth of online rural cultural resources, and the upgrading of digital governance and village-level public services. These efforts were credited with improving living conditions and administrative efficiency in rural jurisdictions. Reflecting on policy execution over the seven-year cycle, the report identified five primary institutional principles: maintaining coordinated planning, pursuing tailored implementation according to local conditions, remaining demand-driven, leveraging innovation, and strictly maintaining security baselines. Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030), the report states that authorities will study and adopt the operational methods of the "Green Rural Revival Program." Future policy will emphasize high-quality development aimed at strengthening agriculture and raising rural incomes. Key tasks outlined for the upcoming period include consolidating digital infrastructure, integrating industrial digitization with rural construction and smart village administration, balancing developmental goals with risk management, and stimulating internal economic momentum within rural communities.