Measures and guidelines

We should stick to and improve the basic economic system for rural operations, improve the strict land management system in rural regions, expand policy support and protection for agriculture, establish a modern financial network in rural areas and a system that balances economic and social developments in urban and rural areas, and improve rural democracy.

We must adhere to the requirements of "high-yield, best-quality, high-efficiency, eco-friendly and safe" production for developing modern agriculture. It is imperative that the government speed up the transformation of agricultural growth models, promote the upgrading and innovation of agricultural technology, invest more in agricultural material, technical equipment and facilities, improve the agricultural industry system, enhance land productivity and the efficient use of resources and labor productivity, and strengthen risk-resistant capacities, global competitiveness and the sustainable development capacity of China's agriculture sector.

We should invest more of the government's budget in public services in rural areas in order to build a new socialist countryside and form an integrated pattern of economic and social development for urban and rural areas, including offering equal opportunities in education, employment, health care, pension and housing to the vast population in the countryside. We should boost rural culture, promote education for rural residents, improve the medicare system and the social security system in rural areas, promote infrastructure construction, improve the rural environment, intensify development-oriented poverty-relief efforts in the countryside, enhance disaster prevention and reduction capacity in rural areas and strengthen social administration of the countryside.

Wang Puxun (professor of politics at Renmin University of China): This part of the communiqu might be regarded as the requirements or specific guidelines by the Central Government on rural reform and development in the coming years. In general, there are three aspects. First, the government encourages reform and innovations and enhancements to the institutional construction of the countryside, which involves the basic operation system, namely the household-based contract responsibility system, the land management system, the rural financial networking and grass-roots democracy. Second, the government stresses the basic requirements for developing modern agriculture and enhancing the sector's comprehensive productive capacity. Third, the government pledges to expand budget spending to improve public services in rural areas, covering rural culture, education, health care, social security, infrastructure, the environment, poverty relief and disaster prevention and reduction. All the three requirements or tasks, specific and explicit, address the major contradictions and challenges that rural reform and development face at present, and will serve as feasible guidelines for achieving substantial results during a new round of rural reform and development. It indicates more importance is given to issues concerning the farmers, mostly in hopes of achieving the goal of building an all-around, well-off and harmonious society.