Economic Daily:

The migration of rural populations to urban areas remains a dominant trend. Given this, what efforts will be made to ensure coordinated development between new urbanization and rural revitalization and better promote the urbanization of the migrating agricultural population? Thank you.  

Zhu Weidong:

As the journalist pointed out, China is witnessing rapid urbanization, and this process is expected to continue for a long period. In 2022, China's permanent rural population was 491 million. Experts estimate that over 100 million more rural residents will move to urban areas by 2035. We need to foster a welcoming and supportive environment for those moving to urban areas while ensuring a comfortable and satisfying life for those who stay. We will coordinate new urbanization with rural revitalization across the board and ensure integrated design and coordinated implementation in a bid to facilitate the two-way flow of various factors and foster a new development paradigm of integrated development of urban and rural areas. This year's "No. 1 central document" has made specific deployments in this regard.

First, it is about solidly advancing the granting of permanent urban residency to eligible individuals who have moved from rural areas to cities. The emphasis is on implementing a new round of actions to grant permanent urban residency to these individuals, improving the system for providing basic public services in areas of permanent residence, and accelerating the expansion of urban public services to cover all permanent residents. The document stresses the importance of encouraging eligible counties (cities, districts) to include all urban permanent residents in the housing security policy, thereby helping farmers who are able and willing to move to cities better integrate into urban life.

Second, it focuses on protecting the legal rights and interests of farmers who move to and settle in cities. The process of farmers relocating to urban areas is lengthy, and before they have fully settled, we should not hastily cut off their option to return to the countryside. It is essential we safeguard their rights to rural land contractual management, the use of rural land designated for housing, and collective income distribution.

Third, it focuses on accelerating the integrated development of urban and rural areas within counties. Over the years, urbanization in county areas has developed rapidly, with more farmers moving to counties for employment and residence. The document emphasizes enhancing the comprehensive accommodation capacity and governance ability of counties, promoting the functional integration and complementarity of counties, townships, and villages, and optimizing the allocation of resources and factors. The key is to employ a dual approach. On the one hand, we will advance urbanization with counties as key hubs, enhancing these counties as leaders and leveraging their role in driving rural areas. On the other hand, we will adapt to trends in rural development and demographic changes, optimizing the layout of villages, industrial structures, and the allocation of public services. We will work to ensure that basic livelihood needs are met while avoiding the wastage that occurs when villages are newly built and then abandoned as people move away. Thank you.