The Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing, where Xi Jinping issued important instructions on advancing the work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.

  BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) — The Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing from the 29th to the 30th. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the conference thoroughly implemented the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the successive plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, fully applied General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions and directives on “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” work, and carried out the guiding principles of the Central Economic Work Conference. It analyzed the current situation and challenges facing “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” work and outlined plans for this work in 2026.

  The CPC Central Committee attaches great importance to this conference. Prior to the meeting, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee issued clear instructions on ensuring the success of the conference and on effectively advancing work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers.

  Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, has issued important instructions on strengthening work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. Xi Jinping emphasized that 2026 will mark the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, making it crucial to do a good job in “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” affairs. He called for adhering to the guidance of Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the CPC and the plenary sessions of its 20th Central Committee, anchoring efforts on the modernization of agriculture and rural areas, steadily advancing all-round rural revitalization, and promoting integrated urban–rural development. It is imperative to maintain unwavering focus on grain production, promote the integrated application of high-quality farmland, superior seeds, advanced machinery, and sound farming practices to enhance efficiency, and raise the overall productive capacity, quality, and economic returns of agriculture. Policies aimed at strengthening agriculture, benefiting farmers, and enriching rural communities must be made more effective, ensuring that prices of grain and other key agricultural products remain at reasonable levels and that farmers’ incomes grow steadily. Efforts to consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation should be sustained, with regularized assistance incorporated into the overarching strategy for rural revitalization, firmly safeguarding against large-scale relapse into or emergence of poverty. Drawing on the experience of the “Ten‑Million Project,” we must advance, according to local conditions, the construction of livable, workable, and beautiful villages, while elevating the level of rural governance and the cultivation of civilized rural customs.

  Xi Jinping emphasized that Party committees and governments at all levels must continue to prioritize addressing the “three rural issues,” uphold the principle of having secretaries at all five levels take charge of rural revitalization, forge ahead with determination, and work earnestly and pragmatically, striving to transform agriculture into a modern, large-scale industry, ensure that rural areas are equipped with basic modern living conditions, and enable farmers to enjoy a more prosperous and fulfilling life.

  The meeting conveyed and studied Xi Jinping’s important instructions, and deliberated on the “Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Anchoring Agricultural and Rural Modernization and Solidly Promoting All-Round Rural Revitalization (Draft for Discussion).” Liu Guozhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the meeting and delivered a speech.

  The meeting noted that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions are both far-sighted and incisive, possessing strong ideological guidance and practical relevance, and have further clarified the direction for advancing work related to agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. They must be thoroughly studied and understood, and resolutely implemented.

  The meeting emphasized that the modernization of agriculture and rural areas is integral to the overall vision and quality of Chinese‑style modernization, and that we must accelerate efforts to build a strong agricultural nation. We must ensure stable production of grain and oilseed crops, vigorously implement a new round of initiatives to boost grain production capacity by 100 billion jin, and promote the improvement of grain varieties and product quality. We will strengthen water‑conservancy infrastructure, enhance meteorological monitoring, forecasting, and early warning systems, and bolster agriculture’s capacity for disaster prevention and mitigation. We will upgrade and improve the “vegetable basket” sector, enhancing our ability to provide diversified food supplies. We will reinforce farmland protection and quality improvement, strictly uphold the red line for arable land, and advance high‑standard farmland construction in a targeted, tiered, and high‑quality manner. We will intensify research on critical core agricultural technologies and ensure the efficient translation and application of scientific and technological advances, developing new forms of agricultural productivity suited to local conditions. We will establish a regular mechanism to prevent relapse into poverty and falling into poverty, refine a system of ongoing support policies, continue to back the development of underdeveloped regions, and sustain and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation. We will do everything possible to ensure steady income growth for farmers and improve mechanisms that safeguard the earnings of grain‑producing farmers. We will coordinate services to support rural migrant workers and provide assistance for returning villagers seeking employment or starting businesses, thereby stabilizing jobs and employment for rural laborers. We will foster and expand county‑level industries that enrich local communities, broaden channels and methods for farmers’ participation in industrial development, and strengthen mechanisms that link farmers to and drive rural development. We will tailor rural development implementation mechanisms to local conditions, comprehensively optimize rural land‑use planning, swiftly address shortcomings in modern living standards in rural areas, and create high‑quality living spaces in the countryside. We will persistently improve the rural living environment, tackling issues such as rural toilet upgrades and village‑wide waste management with a spirit of meticulous, step‑by‑step progress. We will conduct orderly elections for grassroots rural organizations and enhance the effectiveness of Party building in guiding rural governance. We will deepen the implementation of projects to cultivate civilized rural customs and continue promoting changes in traditional practices. Upholding and advancing the “Fengqiao Experience” for the new era, we will promptly resolve all kinds of disputes and maintain rural stability and tranquility. We will further deepen rural reform, carry out province‑wide pilot programs to extend the second round of land contracts by another thirty years after their expiration, standardize and orderly revitalize and utilize various rural resources, innovate financing and investment mechanisms for rural revitalization, and continuously inject momentum and vitality into rural development.

  The meeting emphasized the need to strengthen the Party’s overall leadership over “agriculture, rural areas, and farmers” work, enhance the capacity of Party and government officials at all levels to effectively implement this work, reinforce the accountability system for rural revitalization, and ensure that all tasks are earnestly carried out and yield tangible results. It called for fostering and practicing a correct view of political achievements, consciously acting in accordance with objective laws, fully unleashing the vitality of those committed to getting things done, and advancing comprehensive rural revitalization while elevating agricultural and rural modernization to a new level.

  State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong presided over the first plenary session.

  Members of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, leading officials from all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, cities separately listed for planning purposes, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as leading officials from relevant departments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, related people’s organizations, financial institutions and enterprises, and relevant departments of the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting.

[Editor-in-charge: Shi Ge]

Source: Xinhua Net