国内英语新闻:Policy paper promises more efforts for rural-urban integration

BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- China will put more investment, subsidies, fiscal and policy supports into rural areas this year so as to better coordinate urban and rural development, the central government said Sunday in its first policy document of the year.

"Working for coordinated development between urban and rural areas is the fundamental requirement of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way," said the document.

The document, jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, or the Cabinet, promised to improve the livelihood of rural residents, which it said is one of the main tasks in China's efforts to adjust resident income distribution system.

Expanding rural demand should be the key measure in boosting domestic demand, it said, while developing modern agriculture should be considered as a major task in transforming China's economic growth pattern.

It called for more efforts to maintain grain production, increase of farmers' income and good development momentum in rural areas.

IMPROVING POLICY, STRENGTHENING FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO RURAL AREAS

The document said that the central government would continue to improve the policy system to empower and benefit farmers. The government would also continue boosting financial input into agriculture and rural areas.

The document stressed that budget expenditure should first support development of agriculture and rural areas, and fixed-asset investment first be channeled into agricultural-related infrastructure and projects in relation to rural livelihood.

The Agricultural Development Bank is required to offer mid- and long-term policy-based loan services to rural infrastructure and projects related to agricultural development, which Chen Xiwen, director of the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, believed as a breakthrough in China's rural financial service.

"It means a great amount of fund will be channeled into agricultural development, which could fill the long-time policy gaps concerning mid- and long-term policy-based loans", Chen told Xinhua in an exclusive interview Sunday.

More subsidies should be channeled to increase the output of grain, potato, highland barley and peanut, as well as the purchase of agricultural machinery, the document said.

The government would implement more policies for purchasing and stockpiling major agricultural products, including corn, soybean and oilseeds, to stabilize prices of major farm produce.

More efforts will be made to strengthen financial services including micro-credit loans and insurance service in rural areas, according to the document.

It promised that basic banking services would be available in all villages and towns in the next three years.

It called for more efforts to develop township banks, loan-lending companies, and mutual funds in a bid to guide more capital flowing into the rural financial market.

The central government also demanded further expansion of rural consumption market as part of the country's accelerating measures to boost consumption.

MORE RESOURCES TO RURAL AREAS

In a bid to narrow the development gap between the urban and rural areas, the document said the central government would roll out more favorable policies to encourage inputs from various social forces to rural areas.

Enterprises which establish rural welfare foundations would enjoy tax breaks, with no more than 12 percent of their annual profits being deducted before calculation of enterprise income tax.

Large and medium-sized cities, and various sectors should give an impetus to rural areas' development, providing one-to-one support and participating in industrial development and infrastructure construction in rural areas, according to the document.

It also urged related departments to study favorable policies to guide more educational resources and scientific research institutions to tap into the country's vast rural regions.

To ease the chronic financing shortage in the rural areas, the government required financial institutions, including the Agricultural Bank of China, Rural Credit Cooperative, and Postal Savings Bank of China, to further increase agriculture-related credit loans. The Agricultural Development Bank of China was ordered to expand the supporting fields in agriculture, and give more long-term credit support to the infrastructure construction in rural areas.

URBANIZATION

Migrant workers can so far neither settle down in cities nor want to go back to the countryside, said Chen.

According to Chen, 60 percent of the 150 million migrant workers were born in the 80s or 90s of last century who are referred as the "new generation of migrant workers" by the document and are not familiar with farming but dying to be part of the city life.

The document listed new measures to integrate more farmers into urban life.

"Small and medium-sized cities and townships will be the focus of the country's urbanization plan," the document said.

The country will ease the restrictions over permanent residence permits in county seats and townships so that more rural residents can move in and enjoy the same rights and public service as original urban residents, the document said.

To attract more rural labors, the country will put more resources in economic growth at the county level, including preferential policies in land use, reform of government investment and taxation.

The country will encourage city governments to allow migrant workers, who have stable jobs and live in the cities for a certain period of time, to join in urban housing programs.

Migrant workers will also be included in the basic medical insurance and pension program in cities, the document said.

RIGHTS

The government will work hard to solve the problems that harm farmers' interests, such as in land expropriation, pollution and management of village assets, the document said.

An unblocked channel should be built to enable rural residents to express their requests and safeguard their rights and interests in a rational and legal way, it said.

In addition, the document also pledged to promote village democracy. Efforts should be made to regulate the election procedure of village committees and heads, introduce democratic decision-making, and promote transparency in village asset management.