Final Target
Issues relating to agriculture， rural areas， and rural people are fundamental to China because they directly concern the country’s stability and the people’s well-being.
As China has developed， its agriculture， rural areas and living standards of rural residents have constantly improved. Especially since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China （CPC）， China’s agriculture has entered a new stage with grain production capacity exceeding 600 million tons per year and new types of agribusiness growing fast. The gap between urban and rural incomes is decreasing. The poverty reduction campaign has achieved tremendous results， helping a vast majority of rural people emerge from absolute poverty. Additionally， rural infrastructure has been gradually updated， basic social services have improved and the integrated development of rural and urban areas has taken initial shape.
Despite all the progress， China’s agriculture and rural areas are still lagging behind. The competitiveness of agriculture is weak， the quality of agricultural products hardly meets public demand， agricultural ecological function is not fully developed， agricultural efficiency is increasingly difficult to improve and agricultural resources have been overused， which has made sustainable agricultural development especially needed.
Issues related to agriculture， rural areas and rural people reflect China’s imbalanced and inadequate development， which is a major part of the principal contradiction facing Chinese society as socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era. In implementing the rural vitalization strategy， the Chinese government must prioritize the development of agriculture and rural areas. To build rural areas with thriving businesses， pleasant living environments， social etiquette and civility， effective governance and prosperity， the Chinese government needs to set up sound systems， mechanisms， and policies for promoting integrated urban-rural development. To solve issues related to agriculture， rural areas and rural people， the government needs to improve reform methods and measures and remove institutional barriers to activate people and the market to make agriculture a promising industry， farming an attracting vocation and rural areas beautiful places.
The rural vitalization strategy will give rise to thriving businesses， which can raise agricultural comparative effectiveness and China’s agricultural competitiveness in the world as well as integrated development of primary， secondary and tertiary industries that will compose a prosperous economy in rural areas. Behind villages featuring pleasant living environments， strong social etiquette and widespread civility is effective governance， which is the key to making a locale attractive enough to draw quality resources and market attention. Improving the living standards of farmers requires creating more avenues for income as well as a strong sense of fulfillment， happiness， and security， so as to give farmers full access to the fruits of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
