Chinese Premier Wen
Jiabao on Monday promised increased funding for rural
development this year, the first step to bringing about great
change to rural areas.?
Addressing provincial and ministerial heads at a seminar on
Building A New Socialist Countryside, Wen said: "Building a new
socialist countryside is a major part of the country's
modernization process."
He said China should always give priority to building a new
countryside and promoting coordinated urban and rural development,
tasks he described as long-term, arduous and complicated.
Wen also vowed to boost the development of modern agriculture
and the rural economy, giving priority to stabilizing grain
production and increasing farmers' incomes in a sustained manner,
while improving education, science and technology, health and
culture in rural areas, and grassroots democracy.
He said building a new socialist countryside should not be
interpreted as merely constructing villages, although changing the
face of the countryside does require construction of villages and
environmental improvements.
This year, public spending should exceed that of last year. The
ratio of treasury bonds and expenditure on rural construction to
the total should be higher than that of last year, Wen said.
China will also encourage the private sector to invest in rural
development, he added.
Among those attending the graduation ceremony of the seminar
were Chinese Vice-President Zeng
Qinghong and other senior Chinese leaders, including Li
Changchun, Wu
Guanzheng, and Luo Gan,
members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the
CPC Central Committee.
(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2006)