Read in Chinese

Speakers:

Mr. Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group

Mr. Zhu Weidong, deputy director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and deputy director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group

Chairperson:

Mr. Chen Wenjun, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson for the SCIO

Date:

Feb. 4, 2024

Chen Wenjun:

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. China unveiled its "No. 1 central document" for 2024 yesterday, outlining deployments for studying and applying the Green Rural Revival Program's experience to effectively advance rural revitalization across the board. To offer you a precise and thorough understanding of this important document, we invited Mr. Han Wenxiu, executive deputy director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, and Mr. Zhu Weidong, deputy director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission and deputy director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, to introduce and interpret this document as well as to take your questions.

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Han for his briefing. 

Han Wenxiu:

Ladies and gentlemen, greetings to you all. Under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, our work related to agriculture, rural areas and rural residents yielded notable results last year with agricultural output increasing, incomes for rural residents rising and rural areas' development flouring. Today marks Lichun, or the beginning of spring, the first of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. As the saying goes, with the arrival of Lichun, all living things come to life, signaling the start of a busy year for farming. Yesterday, the 2024 "No. 1 central document" on studying and applying the Green Rural Revival Program's experience to effectively advance rural revitalization across the board was released to the public. This signifies the 12th "No. 1 central document" that gives guidance for agricultural work, rural areas and rural residents successively being issued by the central government since the 18th CPC National Congress. It fully demonstrates such work's strategic significance as a top priority on the Party's work agenda, delivering a substantial "gift package" of policies to the rural residents for the new year. 

General Secretary Xi Jinping places great importance on agriculture, rural areas and rural residents, always caring for the rural population. At the Central Economic Work Conference held at the end of last year, he emphasized making sustained efforts to deliver in rural-focused work and made vital instructions on many occasions. This year's "No. 1 central document" presents a distinct theme and coherent structure, aiming to thoroughly implement the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches and instructions as well as adhering to and strengthening the Party's overall leadership on work regarding agriculture, rural areas and rural residents. Anchoring the goal of building a strong agricultural sector, focusing on advancing rural revitalization across the board and drawing on the experience of the Green Rural Revival Program, the document systematically lays out procedures for current and future work regarding agriculture, rural areas and rural residents, and specifies priorities and approaches for rural revitalization. The overall framework of the document can be summarized as "ensuring two aspects, improving three sectors and enhancing two points."

"Ensuring two aspects" refers to ensuring national food security and no large-scale return to poverty. Ensuring national food security prioritizes implementing the food crop production strategy based on farmland management and technological application, maintaining stable farmland area while increasing per unit crop yield and guaranteeing that the grain output remains above 650 million metric tons. Ensuring no large-scale return to poverty prioritizes monitoring and applying assistance mechanisms to prevent people from slipping back into poverty, reinforcing industrial and employment support and striving to help areas and people that have just shaken off poverty build their own momentum for growth.

"Improving three sectors" means the cultivation of rural industrial development, rural construction and rural governance. Improving rural industrial development prioritizes spurring agricultural development by bolstering industries, raising quality standards and promoting green development, accelerating efforts to build a modern rural industrial system and transforming agriculture into a modernized large-scale industry. The key to improve rural construction lies in consistently upgrading rural infrastructure, living environments and public services based on local conditions and the needs of rural residents. Improving rural governance focuses on bettering the rural governance model based on self-governance, rule of law and rule of virtue, under the leadership of the Party, promoting cultural and ethical progress as well as ensuring social stability and harmony within rural areas.

The "two strengthenings" mean strengthening technologies and reforms as dual driving forces and strengthening measures for increasing farmers' income. The key to the former is to coordinate and promote sci-tech innovation and institutional innovation, further boosting rural revitalization with more vitality. The key to the latter is to implement actions that increase farmers' income and offer support to ensure continued income growth, allowing farmers to gain wealth and continuously improve their lives.

This year's "No. 1 central document" emphasizes the approach of pursuing progress while maintaining stability, promoting stability through progress, and establishing the new before demolishing the old. It also maintains that we should be goal-oriented and problem-oriented, focus on major tasks and overall deployments simultaneously, and balance work arrangements for the whole year and for different periods. Our work should be targeted and effective, driving innovation in policies and systems to tackle challenges and bottlenecks in rural revitalization, as well as addressing prominent issues of concern to farmers. The document contains several key points, proposing concrete policies and measures to improve agricultural insurance, refine the benefits compensation mechanism for main producing areas, enhance high-standard farmland development, and facilitate the transition of farmers to urban residents. The aim is to achieve solid results through effective measures and firm efforts, promoting comprehensive rural revitalization to attain new accomplishments and bring more tangible benefits to the farming population.

That's all from me for now. Next, my colleague Mr. Zhu and I will take your questions.

Chen Wenjun:

Thank you, Mr. Han. The floor is now open to questions. Please identify the news agency you work for before asking your question.