Keywords to Understand Poverty Reduction in China: the Rural Revitalization Strategy

Issues relating to agriculture, rural areas, and rural people are fundamental to China as they directly concern our country’s stability and our people’s wellbeing. The pursuit of the rural revitalization strategy is a major task to realize agricultural and rural modernization, and is an important approach to the Chinese path to modernization.

In October 2017, the report to the 19th CPC National Congres s proposed for the first time to implement the rural revitalization strategy, and identified it as one of the seven strategies that we must show firm resolve to secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

When advancing rural revitalization, we will put agricultural and rural development first. The aim is to build rural areas with thriving businesses, pleasant living environments, social etiquette and civility, effective governance, and prosperity, put in place sound systems, mechanisms, and policies for promoting integrated urban-rural development, and speed up the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. The specific objectives and tasks are:

By 2020, important progress will be made in rural revitalization, and the institutional framework and the policy system will be basically formed. Overall agricultural production capacity will be steadily improved, and the quality of the agricultural supply system will be improved markedly. The integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in rural areas will be further improved. Broader channels will be developed for rural residents to increase their income, and the gap in living standards between urban and rural residents will continue to narrow. All the rural population will be lifted out of poverty as defined by the existing standard, all impoverished counties will be raised out of poverty, and poverty over entire regions will be eliminated. Rural infrastructure development will be deepened, rural living environment will be substantially improved, and solid progress will be made in the building of a beautiful, livable countryside. Opportunities for rural residents to enjoy the same basic public services as urban residents will be further improved, and systems and mechanisms for urban-rural integration will be initially established. Attraction of rural areas to talents will gradually increase. There will be an obvious improvement in the eco-environment, and agroecological service capacity will be further improved; Grassroots rural organizations with Party organizations at the core will be further strengthened, and rural governance will be further improved. The Party’s leadership systems and mechanisms for rural affairs will be further improved. Various regions and departments will develop ideas and measures to promote rural revitalization.

By 2035, with decisive progress in rural revitalization, agriculture and rural areas will be basically modernized and fundamentally restructured. Farmers will benefit from the quality employment which comes with better jobs, relative poverty will be further alleviated, and concrete progress will be made in achieving common prosperity for all. Rural areas will enjoy the same basic public services as urban areas, brought about by improved systems and mechanisms for urban-rural integration. Farmers will enjoy a better cultural environment in civil and neighborly communities, and benefit from improved rural governance. There will be a fundamental improvement in the eco-environment; the goal of building a beautiful, livable countryside will be basically realized.

By 2050, rural areas will be revitalized across the board, and agriculture and rural areas will be fully modernized, China will have become a great modern socialist country in every dimension, realizing the Second Centenary Goal and fully revitalizing the countryside. At that time, China will have a strong agriculture, a beautiful and revitalized countryside, and prosperous farmers, enjoying across-the-board progress in society and the economy, and thriving endeavors in every sector. At that time, the Chinese people will embrace a happier life in common prosperity, and the nation will continue to march towards higher goals of all-round development of the people and common prosperity for all.