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HANGZHOU, Nov. 9-- As China is seeking to bridge its urban-rural digital divide, this year's World Internet Conference (WIC) shares China's experience on poverty alleviation through the Internet with guests overseas. Held from Nov. 7 to 9 in Wuzhen, eastern China's Zhejiang Province, the fifth WIC attracted around 1,500 guests from 76 countries and regions, including government officials, representatives from international organizations, business leaders, experts and scholars. Many participants were eager to gain first-hand anti-poverty wisdom from China, which has lifted 68.53 million people out of poverty in the past five years. "China has achieved great results in bridging its digital divide," said Robert Kuhn, chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, during the conference. "It's a wonderful story the world needs to know and resemble." "We have been pushing ahead to expand access to the Internet in China's rural areas," said Hong Tianyun, deputy director of the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development when addressing a WIC sub-forum themed "charity and poverty alleviation through the Internet: eliminating hunger and poverty." As of June, 97.4 percent of China's villages have access to broadband Internet and 95 percent have access to 4G networks, according to the latest report on China's Internet development released at the conference. China has also been "very effective" in empowering impoverished people and communities with easier access to the Internet, according to Sally Costerton, senior advisor to the president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). | 
