The digital economy promotes the integration of urban and rural development

Adhering to the integrated development of urban and rural areas is one of the basic principles for implementing the strategy of rural revitalization. Recently, the Central Cyberspace Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued the "Digital Rural Development Action Plan (2022-2025)", which clearly pointed out that efforts should be made to develop the rural digital economy and adhere to overall coordination and urban-rural integration. It is foreseeable that the digital economy will effectively promote the integration of urban and rural development.

In recent years, the mainland's digital economy has developed rapidly and has been widely used in the field of "three rural areas", bringing new opportunities for the integration of urban and rural development. For example, with the development of rural e-commerce, a number of distinctive rural e-commerce product brands have been formed, and the sales channels of agricultural and sideline products have been greatly broadened, and at the same time, high-quality consumer goods have been driven to the countryside to promote the upgrading of rural consumption. For another example, the development of digital inclusive finance in rural areas has improved the convenience of farmers' payment, reduced transaction costs, and thus promoted consumption, providing more flexible financial services for agriculture-related production and alleviating the difficulty of financing. It can be said that the digital economy has effectively promoted the rapid development of the rural economy and provided an important force for narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas and promoting the integration of urban and rural development.

However, it should also be noted that there are still some shortcomings and problems in the development of the rural digital economy that need to be overcome urgently. At present, the 4G coverage rate of administrative villages in the country exceeds 98%, but it is still relatively backward in the new generation of information technology facilities such as 5G and gigabit optical fiber networks. Rural left-behind people, the elderly and other special groups of people have a low acceptance of new things such as information technology, and some people are still unable to adapt to digital life. The rural logistics distribution system and network sales system still need to be improved. In addition, the lack of talents, the unsmooth flow of urban and rural elements, and the unreasonable allocation of public resources also restrict the integration of urban and rural development.

The digital economy plays an obvious role in promoting the integration of urban and rural development, and there is great potential for promoting rural revitalization. To develop the rural digital economy and promote the integration of urban and rural areas, multiple measures should be taken at the same time to make up for shortcomings.

First, accelerate the construction of information infrastructure in rural areas. Information infrastructure is an important foundation for the development of the digital economy. We should promote the optimization and upgrading of rural information infrastructure, promote the extension of new generation information infrastructure such as 5G and gigabit optical fiber to rural areas, and at the same time, promote the digital transformation of traditional infrastructure such as rural roads, power grids, and water networks.

Second, innovate the rural circulation service system. The important application of the digital economy lies in the combination of online and offline, data elements are mainly transmitted through online forms such as information technology, and traditional elements still rely on offline media. At present, it is still necessary to deepen the popularity of rural postal and express delivery outlets and accelerate the construction of a number of smart logistics distribution centers. Establish and improve the specifications and operation mechanisms of rural logistics common distribution services, accelerate the construction of rural delivery logistics system, and better open up and expand the "last kilometer" of rural logistics.

Third, improve the information literacy of special groups in rural areas. The first is to provide accurate digital service assistance for special groups such as the elderly, left-behind children and women in rural areas. The second is to carry out the activities of information talents going to the countryside, strengthen the popularization of digital knowledge for special groups in rural areas, give full play to the role of first secretaries and college student village officials, strengthen farmers' information literacy training, and enhance farmers' awareness and skills in network security protection. The third is to encourage Internet enterprises to develop information terminals that adapt to the characteristics of the "three rural areas", and promote the aging and barrier-free transformation of Internet applications.

Fourth, implement rural digital governance and promote the modernization of rural governance systems and governance capabilities. Promote the extension of "Internet + government services" to rural areas, and incorporate rural digital governance into the national integrated online government service platform. Improve the level of informatization of village affairs, party affairs, and asset management, promote the timely disclosure of village-level affairs, and promote the modernization of rural governance capabilities and the integration of urban and rural governance.

Fifth, comprehensively promote the integrated development of urban and rural informatization. When standardizing the digital economy and formulating development standards, we should adhere to the overall design, unified standards, synchronous implementation, and coordinated progress. The construction of digital villages cannot simply replicate the construction practices of smart cities, but should gradually integrate, share and utilize information resources through the interconnection of platforms, so as to realize the interconnection of urban and rural information infrastructure and the free flow of data element resources.