Chinese President Hu Jintao
Tuesday asked provincial and ministerial heads to attach importance
and take concrete actions to boost rural development.
"Building a socialist new countryside is a major historic
mission set by our Party," Hu Jintao, who is also the general
secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee,
told a seminar on building a socialist new countryside.
He asked all CPC members and the whole nation to work jointly to
make the drive "a project for the people" that truly benefits the
vast number of farmers.
Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the
CPC Central Committee Wu
Bangguo, Wen
Jiabao, Jia
Qinglin, Wu
Guanzheng, Li
Changchun and Luo Gan
also attended the opening ceremony chaired by Zeng
Qinghong, a members of the Standing Committee of the Political
Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, vice Chinese president and
president of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.
Hu said that in building a well-off society in an all-round way
in China, the most arduous tasks are in the countryside. To
accelerate China's modernization, it is imperative to properly
handle the relationships of industry and agriculture and urban and
rural areas.
Hu Jintao defined the major tasks for building a socialist new
countryside at present and in the coming period as follows:
-- comprehensively strengthening the productive forces of the
countryside.
-- making "increasing farmers' income" a central task.
-- boosting grass-roots democracy in the countryside and
improving transparency in village affairs.
-- boosting spiritual civilization and accelerating the
development of education and culture in rural areas to cultivate
"new-type" farmers.
-- boosting harmony, caring for the lives of farmers, improving
health and strengthening social administration in the
countryside.
-- pushing forward reform in various fields to enhance the
vitality of agricultural and rural development comprehensively.
He asked the Party committees and governments at all levels to
start with "matters that farmers most care about and are most
anxious to address and matters that produce effects most easily"
and bring concrete benefits to the farmers constantly.
He asked all cadres to care about the sufferings of the farmers,
respect their wishes, safeguard their interests and enhance their
well-being.
Participants in the seminar, held at the Party School of the CPC
Central Committee, are the heads of provinces, ministries and
organizations at this level.
(Xinhua News Agency February 15, 2006)