The Communist Party of China (CPC) issued a landmark policy document on Sunday to allow farmers to "lease their contracted farmland or transfer their land use rights" to boost the scale of operation for farm production and provide funds to start new businesses.

The Decision on Major Issues Concerning the Advancement of Rural Reform and Development was approved by the CPC Central Committee on Oct. 12 at a plenary session.

Key developments in the formation process of the document include:

-- In March 2008, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its Standing Committee decided that the third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee would focus on issues concerning rural reform and development.

-- On March 25, a drafting team was set up by Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau. The team, directly under the Standing Committee, was headed by Hui Liangyu, Vice Premier and member of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, and Wang Huning, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee. The team consisted of 49 central government officials, local government leaders and researchers on rural issues.

-- At the first meeting of the drafting team on March 25, CPC Central Committee General Secretary and Chinese President Hu Jintao put forward seven key issues, including the establishment of modern agriculture and getting industry to support agriculture and cities to support the countryside.

-- In April, members of the drafting team went to 12 provinces and autonomous regions, including Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Hubei and Sichuan, on field investigations. Meanwhile, the drafting team entrusted 18 central government departments to carry out independent researches. Twenty-five reports were submitted to the drafting team.

-- At the end of April, the CPC Central Committee solicited opinions and suggestions from CPC members and non-Communist personages on rural reform and development. By April, the CPC Central Committee received 121 suggestions.

-- At the beginning of May, the drafting team started to write the document.

-- On June 17, a draft was completed.

-- From June 26 to July 24, the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau held two meetings to discuss the draft. On July 25, the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau held a meeting to deliberate on the draft. The draft was then revised several times.

-- On August 7, the draft was open to leaders of central and local government departments, senior army officials, deputies to the 17th CPC National Congress, some retired Chinese leaders and non-Communist personages. The drafting team received 2,193 suggestions. On August 21, General Secretary Hu Jintao met with the leaders of the non-Communist parties, leaders of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and persons without party affiliation to discuss the draft. The draft was revised again.

-- From Sept. 8 to 10, Hu visited farmers in Henan Province.

-- On Sept. 18, the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau held another meeting on the draft, which was presided over by Hu.

-- On Sept. 28, the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau held a meeting. The meeting, also presided over by Hu, decided that the draft will be tabled at the third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee.

-- On Sept. 30, Hu visited Xiaogang village in eastern Anhui Province, where some villagers adopted a household contract responsibility system in 1978, marking the start of China's economic reform.

-- On Oct. 9, the third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee opened in Beijing.

-- During the four-day meeting, 150 suggestions were submitted. The drafting team further amended the draft.

-- At 3 p.m. on Oct. 12, the draft was endorsed at the closing session of the third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee.

-- Over the past six months, the draft has been revised 41 times. Hu presided over five meetings of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and three meetings of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau to discuss the policy document.

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2008)