Tide News under Zhejiang Daily Press Group:

The 20th CPC National Congress proposed building a beautiful and harmonious countryside that is desirable to live and work in. So, what are the current priorities for rural development? And how can we advance this goal? Thank you.

Zhu Weidong:

Rural development is the focal point of solving the imbalance between urban and rural areas. It also has great potential to expand domestic demand and promote high-quality economic development. Rural development has made positive progress in recent years, and rural infrastructure and public services have been greatly improved, but there still are many weak links. The "No. 1 central document" for 2024 emphasizes that rural development should be based on the actual conditions of each locality and the needs of farmers. It should seize opportunities to benefit all and focus on accomplishing specific tasks effectively.

First, we will enhance the guiding role of rural development plans. It is necessary to comply with the principles of rural development and the trend of urbanization, and provide classified guidance for village planning. Plans should be formulated only if necessary; if there is no need, plans can be temporarily set aside. We should not recklessly require villages to formulate plans. The practice in some places of setting unrealistic targets and schedules must be corrected promptly. It is necessary to adhere to "open-door planning" to ensure that the plans align with the actual situation of the village and the wishes of the farmers. This way, rural officials and residents can understand, abide by, and utilize the plans effectively.

Secondly, we must continue to improve the living environment. Different regions have varying levels of economic development and natural geographical conditions. Therefore, we should upgrade rural toilets and sewage and refuse treatment facilities based on local conditions. We should explore a reward and subsidy model where farmers voluntarily renovate their toilets according to standards, and receive subsidies from the government after passing inspection. This clarifies the roles of the government and farmers. We should fully leverage the motivation of farmers. We must continue to fight against pollution in agriculture and rural areas and promote the integrated protection and restoration of the rural ecology, ensuring that rural areas have bluer skies, greener lands, and clearer waters.

Third, we need to address inadequacies in infrastructure. We will list prominent issues reported by farmers and resolve them one by one. In response to safe drinking water issues in some places, the document requires to improve the rural water supply facilities based on local conditions. The increasing number of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in rural areas calls for strengthening the planning and construction of charging and battery-swapping facilities in key villages and towns. We will address the poor seismic resistance of rural houses in some areas. This requires continuing the renovation of dilapidated rural houses and the seismic retrofitting of rural houses to ensure that farmers can live safely and with peace of mind.

Fourth, we will improve public services. We will focus on public services that are inclusive, meet essential needs, and ensure basic living standards for people in difficulty, and address the concerns of farmers. In education, we should strengthen the construction of boarding schools and properly run necessary small-scale rural schools to improve the quality of rural education. In healthcare, we should channel more medical resources towards rural areas, gradually increase the proportion of medical insurance funds used in rural medical and health institutions, and accelerate the inclusion of village clinics into the designated medical insurance institutions, making it more convenient for rural residents to seek medical treatment and obtain medication. In elderly care, we should improve the rural elderly care services and the incentive mechanism for basic pension schemes to incentivize urban and rural residents to pay more to get more, resolving their worries about the future.

Fifth, we must grasp the proper timing, intensity, and effectiveness of rural development. Rural development should prioritize building for the benefit of farmers and focus on sustainability. In some areas, phenomena such as boastfulness, wasting manpower and money, implementing a one-size-fits-all approach, and issuing coercive orders in rural development must be resolutely rectified. We must adhere to the principles of proceeding from reality, prioritizing quality over quantity, and emphasizing progress based on effectiveness. We oppose rash and reckless moves or unthinkingly borrowing money to carry out construction beyond the current development stage. Thank you.