This photo taken on Feb 20, 2014 shows rural residents with their new houses near the city of Anshun, Guizhou province. (AFP)

BEIJING - Chinese authorities are seeking to narrow the urban-rural digital gap with the help of the internet as part of government efforts to fight poverty.

A cooperation mechanism between east and west China will be established to carry out projects in areas including online education training and long-distance healthcare

China will encourage the role of the internet and big data in poverty reduction and continue to develop rural e-commerce and internet-based healthcare, according to a plan jointly released by regulators including the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission and the National Development and Reform Commission.

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The plan listed 21 major tasks, including expanding internet access in rural areas, piloting e-commerce projects and encouraging more internet companies to take part in poverty alleviation efforts.

A cooperation mechanism between east and west China will be established to carry out projects in areas including online education training and long-distance healthcare, according to the plan.

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China will also improve its big data platform for poverty relief to encourage cross-region and cross-department cooperation in the area.

By the end of 2017, 30.46 million people in China were categorized as poor. The government is aiming to eradicate poverty by 2020.