China’s Xi Jinping vows new push to revitalise rural economy in post-coronavirus world of uncertainty

Boosting rural incomes and improving efficiency in the agricultural sector will be priorities for China next year, Xi Jinping says

But to do so, the government must address the nation’s widening income gap between urban and rural residents

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Boosting rural incomes and improving efficiency in the agricultural sector will be priorities for China next year. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:45pm, 30 Dec 2020Updated: 11:33pm, 30 Dec 2020

China has vowed to provide more forceful support for the agricultural sector and revitalise rural areas, saying they are the “bedrock for a new era of development” in which Beijing aims to make the economy more self-reliant and insulate it from external uncertainty.

At the conclusion of the two-day Central Rural Work Conference on Tuesday, President Xi Jinping said after eliminating absolute poverty this year, the government would undertake “a historic shift” to focus on “comprehensively improving” the rural economy in 2021.

Boosting rural incomes and spending power will be a key element in Beijing’s so-called dual circulation economic strategy, which will rely more on domestic demand and home-grown technology to power growth, Xi said.

But to achieve that, the government must first address the nation’s widening income gap between urban and rural residents.

Stabilising agriculture, rural areas and farmers are the bedrock for the new era of development

Xi Jinping

The world’s second largest economy must improve efficiency in the agricultural sector, make rural areas more suitable to live and work in, and ensure that farmers are well-off, Xi said during the televised conference that set rural policies for 2021.

“Stabilising agriculture, rural areas and farmers are the bedrock for the new era of development,” Xi said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

“Rural areas have huge room and potential to boost domestic demand, which is the core for China’s new development strategy. It is the heaviest task in building a modern socialist country.”