By Ye Xingqing, DRC

2017-01-22

Abstract: General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at a meeting on philosophy and social science that theoretical innovation is based on the addressing of practical problems and problems mark the beginning of and provide an impetus to innovation. We should follow this principle, set the focus of our work on addressing problems, conduct policy research on agriculture, rural areas and farmers with targeted measures for more effective results, and strive to realize moderate prosperity in rural areas in step with other parts of China.

First, China needs to focus on the problem of poverty in rural areas. The Central Government has put helping the impoverished to shake off poverty on top agenda. To implement the strategy of poverty alleviation with targeted measures in the new development stage, it is necessary to take practical policy measures and make great efforts to implement these measures so as to achieve practical effects.

Second, China needs to highlight the problem of increasing farmers’ income. Keeping residents’ income rising simultaneously with the economic growth and narrowing the income gap between residents in urban and rural areas are the fundamental requirements for promoting shared development. In the new era, it is necessary to take increasing farmers’ income as the main line of work on agriculture, rural areas and farmers, properly deal with the relations between the pricing mechanism reform for agricultural products and the protection of farmers’ interests, extend and reframe the industrial and value chains for agriculture, and increase employment assistance to farmers in non-agriculture sectors.

Third, China needs to address the problem of rural social security. The basic issues related to people’s livelihood in rural areas include education, employment, medical care, old-age care and housing. We need to meet the requirements for more people to get benefits from public services, strive to provide basic public service for all, place the focus of social undertaking development in rural areas, expand the scope of urban public service provision in rural areas and flesh out social security network in rural areas.

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