Rural vitalization strategy to solve problems, modernize rural areas

China will push forward with its rural vitalization strategy in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2015) period to solve the problems of each household in rural areas, Tang Renjian, minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said during interviews on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 13th National People's Congress.

"As China has succeeded in poverty eradication after eight years' efforts, infrastructure in rural areas has improved a lot. But many of the achievements have only reached village level, and there are still shortfalls in the work regarding each household," Tang said.

County-level spatial planning should be accomplished this year, and practical village planning will be the next step to meet farmers' needs, he said.

"We will extend better infrastructure, in terms of water, electricity, roads, gas and housing, to each village and household," he added.

The main roads in villages have to be built to facilitate farming life and production, and further boost local businesses and tourism. Local governments will improve storage facilities and cold chain logistics to help open up the circulation of agriculture products, Tang said.

Meanwhile, public services such as access to education, health care, and elderly care will be further enhanced in villages, he added.

Minister of Finance Liu Kun said during sideline interviews that his ministry will set up special funds and subsidies totaling 156.1 billion yuan ($24.1 billion) this year, a year-on-year increase of 10 billion yuan, to ensure a smooth five-year transition from poverty alleviation to rural vitalization.