Chen Xiwen on advancing people-centered new urbanization

Urbanization is the inevitable path to modernization. Advancing urbanization is an important way to solve the problems of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, a strong support for promoting coordinated urban-rural and regional development, and an important lever for expanding domestic demand and promoting industrial upgrading, and it is of great practical significance and far-reaching historical significance for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and accelerating socialist modernization. At present, China's urbanization development faces huge opportunities as well as many major challenges. Advancing urbanization in a large country with a population of more than 1.3 billion has no precedent to follow, and foreign models cannot be copied wholesale. We must, in accordance with the requirements of the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, proceed from the basic national conditions of China's primary stage of socialism, follow the laws, make the best use of the situation, grasp the direction well, and actively advance people-centered new urbanization.

Deepen reform of the household registration system and help rural migrants able to find stable employment and life in cities to settle in cities with their whole families

⟦NL> To advance people-centered new urbanization, the primary task at present is to help the already-arrived urban resident population that is able to find stable employment and life in cities to achieve orderly citizenization. On this basis, improve the quality and living standards of the entire urban population. Accelerating reform of the household registration system is one of the major tasks of advancing new urbanization. At present, deepening reform of the household registration system focuses on implementing the policy for rural migrants to settle in different types of cities and towns, and the main task is to solve the settlement problem of rural migrants who have already moved to cities and towns for employment and residence. We should fully open the conditions for settling in designated towns and small cities, orderly relax the restrictions on settling in medium-sized cities, reasonably determine the conditions for settling in large cities, and strictly control the population size of megacities. We should establish a unified urban-rural household registration system, basically establish a household registration transfer and registration system with lawful stable residence and lawful stable employment as the basic conditions and registration at the place of regular residence as the basic form, build a national basic population information database, realize cross-departmental and cross-regional information integration and sharing, and provide a basis for cities and towns to formulate economic and social development plans, arrange infrastructure construction, and formulate public policies. We should provide categorized guidance for the citizenization of migrant workers, establish and improve a points-based settlement system linked to conditions such as years of residence, provide a stepped policy channel for fair and orderly settlement, and accelerate the raising of the urbanization level of the registered population.

Reform of the household registration system involves millions of households and concerns the vital interests of the broad masses of the people. We should take into overall account the interest demands of different groups, highlight key points, and advance step by step. Accelerating reform of the household registration system and promoting the citizenization of rural migrants should adhere to the principles of voluntariness, categorization and orderliness. Voluntariness means fully respecting farmers' wishes and fully respecting the people's right to choose where to settle on their own, letting them choose for themselves, not using coercive orders to “force” farmers into cities, and not allowing rural migrants to be “forced to settle” or “forced upstairs”, so as to effectively safeguard the lawful rights and interests of the broad masses of farmers. Categorization means making overall arrangements at the top-level design. All provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government should make specific policy arrangements in light of local conditions, and each locality should, according to the comprehensive carrying capacity of resources and environment of different cities and towns, improve and refine settlement standards, so that rural migrants and other resident populations understand the settlement conditions of different cities and towns and form clear and stable settlement expectations. Orderliness means giving priority to solving the stock and reasonably guiding the increment, giving priority to solving the settlement problem of the resident population that has already entered cities in the locality, and giving priority to solving the settlement problem in cities and towns of rural migrants who have been in cities for a long time, have strong employment ability, and adapt to the industrial needs of cities and towns and the market competition environment. To advance reform of the household registration system and promote the settlement of rural migrants who have entered cities, we must be both active and steady, and solid and orderly, not stirring up winds, not rushing ahead, and not launching campaigns.

Implement the residence permit system and strive to achieve full coverage of basic public services for the resident population

Establishing the residence permit system is a major innovation in the population management system. Migrant workers residing in cities and towns have become the main body of China's urban industrial workers and have made major contributions to local economic and social development, but in areas such as education, medical care, elderly care, employment, and housing security they still cannot enjoy the same basic public services as the local registered population, and they face many difficulties in work and life. Obvious dual-structure contradictions still exist within cities and towns. If these problems are not properly solved for a long time, they will have an adverse impact on the process of urbanization and agricultural modernization.

According to the national new urbanization strategic deployment, by 2020 efforts should be made to solve the settlement problem of about 100 million rural migrants who have already entered cities and other resident populations, while for other people who have entered cities but have not yet settled, their basic public service problems should be solved through establishing the residence permit system. The 2015 Government Work Report clearly proposed that “for outside populations that have already found employment and residence in cities and towns but have not yet settled, corresponding basic public services should be provided with the residence permit as the carrier”. Implementing the residence permit system is a useful exploration at the present stage, under the conditions of categorized settlement in different cities and towns, of gradually relaxing restrictions on population migration, and is a transitional institutional arrangement. The purpose of implementing the residence permit system is to establish a basic public service supply mechanism linked to conditions such as years of residence, to provide permit holders with the same basic public services and conveniences as the local registered population, and in particular to solve practical difficulties for rural migrants and other resident populations who have already found employment and residence in cities and towns but have not yet settled in areas such as compulsory education for their children, basic medical care, basic elderly care, and employment services. Governments at all levels should, according to economic and social development conditions, actively create conditions, continuously expand the scope of public services and conveniences provided to residence permit holders, raise service standards, achieve full coverage of basic public services for the resident population of cities and towns, enable more floating population to integrate into cities and towns, and give them a stronger sense of belonging to and identification with the cities and towns in which they live.

Improve the mechanism linking fiscal transfer payments with the citizenization of rural migrants

Under China's national conditions, the process of rural population transferring to non-agricultural sectors will continue for a fairly long time. At present, China's total number of migrant workers has reached 274 million, about one fifth of the total national population, but the registered residence places and regular residence places of rural migrants are mostly not the same, which makes the existing fiscal expenditure budget system inconsistent with the current situation of the resident population in various places. To achieve the goal that rural migrants at their place of regular residence “have work to do, schools to attend, housing to live in, and security to rely on”, it is necessary first to solve the basic public service problems they urgently need. This undoubtedly requires enormous public financial support. We should gradually straighten out the relationship of administrative powers, establish an institutional system in which administrative powers and expenditure responsibilities are compatible, realize the expansion of the calculation and distribution of fiscal transfer payments from the registered population to the resident population, extend existing basic public services mainly aimed at urban registered residents, such as compulsory education, social security, employment support and indemnificatory housing, to rural migrants who have entered cities and towns for employment, and advance full coverage of basic public services for the resident population.

At present, we should focus on the following tasks: First, study and improve as soon as possible the fiscal management system below the provincial level, and increase fiscal subsidies and support for areas that absorb more rural migrants. When adjusting the division of revenue below the provincial level, the factor of rural migrants should be taken into account, so as to enhance the ability of cities and towns that absorb many rural migrants to improve basic public services. Second, urge local governments to establish a mechanism linking fiscal transfer payments below the provincial level with the citizenization of rural migrants. When distributing general transfer payments, the increased expenditure factors brought by absorbing rural migrants should be taken into account, and when distributing special transfer payments, calculations should gradually be made according to the resident population caliber, so as to effectively ease the fiscal expenditure pressure increased by some cities and towns because of absorbing rural migrants. Third, strengthen the scientific measurement of the fiscal expenditure cost of the citizenization of rural migrants. Improve relevant statistical analysis work, and provide a basis for improving the institutional mechanism linking fiscal transfer payments with the citizenization of rural migrants. In addition, we should further create conditions, gather social forces, open channels for enterprises and private capital to participate in providing public services, introduce market entities and social organizations to jointly share the expenditure on public services, and jointly promote the citizenization of rural migrants.

Safeguard the land contract rights, homestead use rights, and collective income distribution rights of farmers who settle in cities

Effectively safeguarding the land contract rights, homestead use rights, and collective income distribution rights of farmers who settle in cities is crucial for raising farmers' enthusiasm to settle in cities, smoothly advancing reform of the household registration system, and promoting the healthy development of new urbanization. Since reform and opening up, with the continuous improvement of laws, regulations and policy systems, notable progress has been made in safeguarding farmers' “three rights”. To advance people-centered new urbanization, it is necessary to further safeguard the “three rights” of farmers who settle in cities.

At present, we should focus on the following tasks: First, further stabilize rural land contracting relations and safeguard the land contractual management rights of rural households that settle in cities. Promptly issue specific measures for keeping the existing land contracting relations stable and unchanged for a long time, and revise and improve relevant laws and regulations. Accelerate and ensure the completion on schedule of the confirmation, registration and certification of rural land contractual management rights, and build the foundational system for safeguarding farmers' land rights. Strengthen and standardize the transfer of contracted land management rights, improve the market and service system for the transfer of land management rights, and improve the access and supervision system for industrial and commercial enterprises leasing farmers' contracted land. Second, steadily advance pilot reform of the rural land system. This year, the Central Government has deployed pilot work on categorized implementation of reform of rural land expropriation, market entry of collective operational construction land, and the homestead system, and clearly proposed prudently and steadily advancing rural land system reform on the premise of ensuring the three bottom lines: the nature of public ownership of land remains unchanged, the red line of cultivated land is not breached, and farmers' interests are not harmed. We should study and formulate as soon as possible specific measures for narrowing the scope of land expropriation, establish a mechanism for distributing land value-added returns that takes into account the interests of the state, the collective and individuals, improve the reasonable, standardized and diversified safeguard mechanism for farmers whose land is expropriated, and in particular pay attention to safeguarding that farmers who settle in cities receive fair and reasonable compensation when their land contractual management rights and homestead use rights are expropriated, and prohibit depriving farmers who settle in cities of the lawful right to obtain land expropriation compensation. Third, advance reform of the rural collective property rights system and effectively safeguard the collective income distribution rights of farmers who settle in cities. Explore effective forms of realizing the rural collective ownership economy, innovate the operating mechanism of the rural collective economy, and steadily carry out pilot work on granting farmers equity powers over collective assets. All pilots must be strictly limited to within the respective collective economic organization, to prevent erosion of the collective economy and farmers' interests. Guide the healthy development of the rural property rights transfer market. Explore a voluntary, compensated exit mechanism for rural households' “three rights”, and support and guide them to transfer the above rights and interests voluntarily and with compensation in accordance with the law.

Increase efforts to renovate urban shantytowns and dilapidated houses in urban and rural areas

To advance people-centered new urbanization, the key is to be anxious about what the masses are anxious about and think about what the masses are thinking about. Improving the housing security system requires both bringing eligible migrant workers and their families into the scope of urban housing security implementation and striving to improve the housing conditions of people with housing difficulties in urban and rural areas. At present, the masses in various types of shantytowns live in crude housing with a poor environment and many safety hazards; people with difficulties in rural areas have a strong demand for safe housing. Improving the housing conditions of people with housing difficulties is a major matter in the process of advancing new urbanization. Shantytown renovation and other indemnificatory housing projects are not only major livelihood projects and development projects, but also the “ballast stone” for the healthy development of urbanization. Under the situation in which economic development faces relatively great downward pressure, shantytown renovation and the renovation of dilapidated houses of urban and rural residents are also important levers for adjusting the structure and stabilizing growth. By the end of 2014, the whole country had renovated 20.8 million units of various types of shantytown housing and 15.65 million rural dilapidated houses, which both effectively improved the housing conditions of people with difficulties and played a positive role in driving consumption and expanding investment, promoting social harmony and stability. But it should also be noted that compared with the goal set by the Party Central Committee and the State Council of renovating urban shantytowns and urban villages where about 100 million people live, there is still a big gap, and the task remains very arduous, especially with many difficulties and problems in innovating investment and financing mechanisms and improving supporting infrastructure construction.

At present and for a period to come, we should actively do the following key tasks well: First, strengthen urban shantytown renovation. We should effectively do the preliminary work of land expropriation and compensation and resettlement, actively advance monetized resettlement in “shantytown renovation”, shorten the resettlement cycle, save resettlement costs, and meet the diverse housing needs of the masses. Second, increase efforts in renovating rural dilapidated houses. We should actively do the work of implementing provincial-level subsidy funds, coordinate the advancement of earthquake-resistant renovation of rural houses, and ensure that the renovated housing meets construction and safety standards. At the same time, strengthen guidance and management of the appearance of rural houses. Third, actively improve the supporting infrastructure in shantytown renovation areas. Strive to achieve synchronous planning, synchronous construction and synchronous delivery for use of supporting facilities and resettlement housing in shantytown renovation areas. Fourth, vigorously innovate investment and financing systems and mechanisms. On the basis of overall consideration of local fiscal affordability, formulate management measures suitable for the region, promote government purchase of “shantytown renovation” services, continuously innovate government and social capital cooperation models, give play to the supporting role of development finance, and form diversified implementing entities for “shantytown renovation”.