"Building a new socialist countryside" is not only a long-term
goal but also an urgent task of China, said Chen Xiwen, deputy
director of the Office of Central Financial Work Leading Group on
Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference held at the State Council
Information Office, Chen said that the primary reason for the
reintroduction of the notion is that China's economic and social
development have entered a new historical period.
The government is now more economically competent to render
support to the development of agriculture and rural areas and to
coordinate the economic and social development between urban and
rural areas, he said.
According to Chen, there are at least five reasons for putting
forward the concept of "building a new socialist countryside".
Agriculture is still not a foundation sound enough to meet the
requirements of China's overall economic and social development and
the improvement of people's livelihood, said Chen.
China's grain output reached 484 million tons in 2005, still
insufficient to meet demand and nearly 30 million tons lower than
the record high, he said.
Moreover, the lack of farmland and water resources both
constitute bottlenecks limiting the development of agriculture.
More investment in the agricultural sector is required to
improve production conditions, enhance the application of science
and technology and increase the output of farmlands, said Chen.
The widening gap between urban and rural areas is another reason
for putting forward the new concept.
According to Chen, the average yearly per capita net income of
Chinese farmers was 3,255 yuan (US$402) in 2005, while the disposal
income of urban dwellers was 10,493 yuan, 3.22 times the income of
farmers.
Meanwhile, the rural-urban gap is more dramatic in
infrastructure and social undertakings such as education, health
care and culture, which has formed another factor hindering the
improvement of farmers, said Chen.
Chen said that with China's rapid economic growth, conditions
for industry to help boost agriculture and urban areas have become
available.
Moreover, a new socialist countryside is an essential
requirement for expanding domestic demand, said Chen.
The farmer's low income and lack of purchasing power have
adversely affected the expansion of China's domestic demand as only
32.9 percent of the total retail sales of consumer products in
China were realized in counties and rural areas under counties in
2005, said Chen.
Building a new socialist countryside is also an essential
requirement for building a harmonious socialist society, achieving
social fairness and justice and making the benefits of economic and
social development available to all people, said Chen.
(Xinhua News Agency February 22, 2006)