Address Problems Related to Agriculture, Rural Areas and Rural People in the New Development Stage

Address Problems Related to Agriculture, Rural Areas and
Rural People in the New Development Stage*

December 28, 2020

I have often said that leading officials should concentrate on the overall work of the Party and the country. At this important juncture, as we move towards the Second Centenary Goal, as elimination of absolute poverty has been accomplished, and as Covid-19 is exacerbating global turbulence and provoking change, we need to consolidate and expand our achievements in poverty elimination, comprehensively promote rural revitalization, and speed up agricultural and rural modernization. This is a major issue of overarching importance that requires attention from the whole Party.

– The rejuvenation of the Chinese nation calls for rural revitalization. 

Agriculture has been the foundation of our country since ancient times. China created a great and time-honored agricultural civilization that led the world for a long time. Looking back on history, if agriculture was prosperous and peasants led a contented life, the country would be unified and society in order. If agriculture was unproductive and peasants led a hard life, the country would be divided and society would be in turmoil.

After 1840, China suffered from foreign invasions, which led to desolation in the countryside and destitution for the people. 

Soon after its founding in 1921, our Party realized that the fundamental issue in the Chinese revolution was the peasants. It began to see the welfare of the peasants as a priority and devoted itself to freeing them from political oppression and economic exploitation.

During the Great Revolution (1924-1927), Mao Zedong pointed out that the peasants were the largest and most loyal ally of the Chinese proletariat, thus issues related to peasants were key to the national revolution. When meeting with American writer Edgar Snow in Yan’an in 1936, he observed that whoever won the support of the peasants would win China, and whoever solved the land problem would win the support of the peasants.

During the New Democratic Revolution (1919-1949), our Party led the peasants in fighting local tyrants and distributed land to them, and through arduous armed struggle, hundreds of millions of peasants were liberated.

After the founding of the PRC in 1949, our Party launched a series of new initiatives to organize farmers, restore order, and revive production.

Under the leadership of the Party, farmers took the lead in embracing reform and opening up in 1978. By constantly unleashing and developing productive forces and promoting all-round progress in rural areas, they made a historic leap from lacking adequate food and clothing to enjoying moderate prosperity in all respects.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, solving problems related to agriculture, rural areas and rural people has been a top priority in the work of the whole Party, and poverty elimination a landmark project in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. We have organized the largest and most determined campaign against poverty in human history, which has benefited the largest number of people. We have launched the rural revitalization strategy, and achieved historic change and transformation in agriculture and rural areas.

Our country’s overall agricultural production capacity has increased visibly, and its grain output has exceeded 650 million tonnes for the past six years. The per capita income of farmers has more than doubled compared with 2010, their lives have significantly improved, and the countryside has been transformed. Extraordinary changes have taken place in poverty-stricken areas, and we have achieved historic success in eliminating the absolute poverty that has plagued the Chinese nation for thousands of years.

All of this has contributed to our success in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and laid a solid foundation for building China into a modern socialist country. These achievements are the result of a concerted effort on the part of the whole Party and the whole country.

As has long been said, “Agriculture is the foundation of a country and the top priority in governance.” “Attaching importance to agricultural development is the fundamental plan of the country.” History and our experience show that only when agriculture is stable can a country enjoy peace. We should view agriculture, rural areas and rural people from a broad historical perspective. Only with this perspective can we better understand our Party, our country, and our nation. In building a modern socialist country in an all-round way and realizing the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, the most arduous and onerous tasks are to be found in rural areas, where the broadest and most profound foundations are set.

Despite the progress we have achieved in issues of agriculture, rural areas and rural people, the foundations of our agriculture are not yet solid. There are still wide gaps in development and incomes between urban and rural areas and between regions. Our major social problems are still exemplified by the urban-rural imbalance caused by insufficient rural development. With only three five-year plan periods between now and 2035, we need to act quickly. We need to define agricultural and rural modernization, conduct rational analysis and in-depth studies, and set the goals and tasks to be accomplished by 2035 and by the middle of this century. The priority at this stage is to formulate the agricultural and rural development plan for the 14th Five-year Plan period.

– The world is undergoing change on a scale unseen in a century. Stability in agricultural production and solid foundations for agriculture, rural progress and the wellbeing of rural people will serve as ballast in our dealing with change and seeking future development.

Only with progress in issues related to agriculture, rural areas and rural people can China, a huge country with a population of 1.4 billion, secure the initiative in overall development. At present, the international environment is becoming increasingly complex, with more instability and uncertainties. The Covid-19 pandemic is exerting a far-reaching impact, economic globalization is facing countercurrents, and the world is undergoing turbulence and change. We must have a clear understanding of the situation and be prepared for prolonged endeavors.

I have repeatedly emphasized the need to run our own affairs well. One of them is to focus on agricultural production and deal with uncertainties in the external environment with the certainty of stable domestic production and supply.

To cope with risks and challenges, we must stabilize not only agriculture but also rural areas. When the economy wobbles, it is migrant workers who bear the brunt. When the international financial crisis broke out in 2008, more than 20 million migrant workers lost their jobs and returned to their rural homes. This year, due to the impact of Covid-19 and the international economic downturn, nearly 30 million migrant workers either stayed at home or returned to their hometowns from cities. The key reason why our society has remained stable in adversity is that farmers still have their land and houses back home, which means they have land to farm, food to eat, and work to do if they return home. Even if they do not return to the cities, they still feel secure. It will take us a long time to build a modern socialist country in an all-round way. Before these migrant workers are fully settled in cities, we should not rush to sever their links with the countryside. Instead, they should have the choice of either living in cities or in the countryside. This is why China’s urbanization is unique. It also gives us room for maneuver and a particular advantage in addressing risks and challenges.

Building the new development dynamic is a strategic measure that China has taken to respond to world changes. It is also a strategic move to adapt to changes in its own development stage and to seize the initiative. We have focused our strategy on expanding domestic demand. To achieve this, we must fully tap the vast potential of the countryside. The comprehensive modernization of areas that are home to hundreds of millions of rural residents will unleash huge demand for consumption and investment. The economic flow between urban and rural areas is an inherent part of the domestic economy, and is also key to ensuring a healthy balance between the domestic economy and international engagement in the double development dynamic.

The whole Party must be fully aware of the importance and urgency of addressing problems related to agriculture, rural areas and rural people in the new development stage, and address these problems as a top priority in the work of our Party. We need to mobilize the whole Party and society to promote rural revitalization, ensure high-quality and efficient development of agriculture, make rural areas more livable and suitable for business, and ensure that rural people lead a better life.

* Part of the speech at the Central Conference on Rural Work.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)