BEIJING — China has achieved the goal of covering all administrative villages with direct postal services last month ahead of schedule, according to the country's postal service regulator.

China has also realized the target of establishing postal service outlets in every township across the country, said Ma Junsheng, head of the State Post Bureau at a press conference on Sept 17.

Next, China will strengthen the synergy between improving the postal network and the development of rural e-commerce to serve poverty reduction and rural vitalization, according to Ma.

China's rural areas have become bright spots in the country's e-commerce growth. Rural online retail sales totaled 777.1 billion yuan (about $109.9 billion) in the first half of this year, surging 21 percent year-on-year, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce.