Wang Yang: Solidly carry out pilot trials of rural reform and strive to create more experience

On November 29, the Work Exchange Meeting on Rural Reform Pilot Zones was held in Hefei City, Anhui Province. The meeting summarized and exchanged the practices and experience of rural reform trials in various places over the previous period, and arranged the next step of work for rural reform pilot zones. Wang Yang, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, attended the meeting and delivered an important speech. He stressed the need to thoroughly implement the spirit of the Third and Fourth Plenary Sessions of the 18th CPC Central Committee, and, in accordance with the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the “five new” aspects of agricultural and rural development and Premier Li Keqiang’s requirements for solidly carrying out pilot work on rural reform, give full play to the pioneering and trial role of the pilot zones and continuously drive rural reform deeper.

It is understood that, after study and deliberation by the joint meeting on rural reform pilot zone work and with the consent of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, 13 departments including the Ministry of Agriculture recently jointly approved 34 counties (cities, districts) including Tongzhou District of Beijing as the second batch of rural reform pilot zones, which, together with 9 first-batch rural reform pilot zones including Yutian County of Hebei Province, respectively undertake 14 newly added pilot trial tasks for rural reform. With the launch of the second batch of rural reform pilot zones and the determination of the trial tasks, the number of rural reform pilot zones under the new situation has reached 58, covering 28 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) across the country. The trial content covers all major areas of rural reform, and a relatively complete system for reform trial work has basically taken shape.

The meeting stressed that first piloting to explore the way and then summarizing and promoting it is a basic experience behind the tremendous success of reform and opening up. Pilot trials are a good way to properly handle the relationship between reform, development and stability, and fully embody the dialectical unity of top-level design and crossing the river by feeling the stones. At present, China’s economic development has entered a new normal, industrialization and urbanization are advancing in depth, and rural reform involves a broader scope, more influencing factors, and is more complex and arduous. The more this is the case, the more necessary it is to make good use of the magic weapon of pilot trials, fully recognize the great significance of doing a good job in pilot trials of rural reform, and effectively enhance the sense of responsibility and urgency.

The meeting pointed out that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee made important arrangements for comprehensively advancing the rule of law and clearly required “linking legislative and reform decisions, ensuring that major reforms have a legal basis and that legislation actively adapts to the needs of reform and economic and social development.” Deepening rural reform must be carried out in accordance with laws and regulations. This requires us to innovate the ways and methods of reform and actively promote the linking of legislative and reform decisions. With authorization, carrying out certain pilot trials that break through legal restrictions within a limited scope can both take into account the forward-looking and innovative nature of reform and the authority and seriousness of the legal system, thereby advancing reform under the premise of the rule of law; and also provide a basis for the establishment, amendment, abolition and interpretation of laws, accelerate the standardization and legalization of effective reform measures, and make the advancement of rural reform and the improvement of laws and regulations mutually connected and mutually reinforcing.

The meeting stressed that the reform trial tasks deployed this time all come from the Decision of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and this year’s No. 1 Central Document. They mainly focus on advancing market-oriented reform and improving the institutional mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development. They are all key reform areas that have rarely been touched or have not yet been tackled in the past, and require in-depth discussion and study of 5 issues. First, deepen the reform of the rural land system. The rural land system is a foundational system that affects the overall economic and social situation, and all sectors of society both pay close attention to and eagerly look forward to its reform. Land system reform involves many entities and has a deep impact on interests. Reform trials must highlight key points and grasp the key issues. It is necessary to coordinate the implementation of pilot reforms for rural land expropriation, market entry of rural collective operating construction land that complies with planning and use control, and the homestead system, and explore ways to hold the red line for farmland protection and promote efficient use of rural land. Second, improve the agricultural support and protection system. The reason we have been able to maintain the good momentum of stable development of agricultural production and sustained increase in farmers’ incomes over these years is to a large extent attributable to continuously increasing investment in “agriculture, rural areas and farmers” and basically establishing a complete agricultural support and protection system. However, as the macroeconomic environment and agricultural and rural conditions change, agricultural support and protection policies also need adjustment and improvement. On the one hand, it is necessary to continue strengthening support, protection and investment for agriculture; on the other hand, it is necessary to explore methods and approaches for making full and good use of existing stock and improving the precision and effectiveness of agricultural investment. Third, establish a modern rural financial system. Finance is the “bloodline” of the agricultural and rural economy. With the rapid development of new types of business entities and the continuous expansion of operating scale, rural demand for credit support and risk protection is growing stronger. It is necessary to explore the establishment of incentive and restraint mechanisms for financial support to agriculture, enrich the types of financial institutions in rural areas, and explore low-cost operating models for rural finance and effective ways to prevent financial risks. Fourth, deepen the reform of the rural collective property rights system. To establish a rural collective property rights system that conforms to the requirements of the socialist market economy system and the reality of the primary stage, it is necessary to explore improving rural collective ownership and clarify the attribution of rural collective property rights. It is necessary to improve the operating mechanisms of rural collective economic organizations and explore the forms of realizing collective ownership. It is necessary to study the relationship between management and operation entities and entities to which property rights belong, and establish a sound internal governance structure. Fifth, improve rural governance mechanisms. The profound adjustment of the urban-rural interest pattern, the profound changes in rural social structure, and the profound changes in farmers’ ideas pose challenges to the traditional model of rural social governance. It is necessary to explore how to adapt to the new situation, strengthen the building of rural grassroots Party organizations, consolidate the leading core position of grassroots Party organizations in rural areas, and enhance their appeal and cohesion. It is necessary to explore how to improve villagers’ self-governance and better realize villagers’ democratic management and democratic supervision. It is necessary to explore how to realize a rural governance system in which Party grassroots organizations, villagers’ self-governance organizations, and various economic and service organizations are organically integrated.

The meeting required that, as conditions differ from place to place and the trial tasks undertaken by each pilot zone are also different, it is essential to proceed from reality, carefully formulate reform trial plans, and meticulously organize and implement them, so as to provide experience for establishing and improving agricultural and rural development mechanisms, provide reference for creating and improving relevant systems, and provide a basis for revising and improving legal provisions. All localities must attach great importance, make careful arrangements, organize meticulously and implement well, and relevant departments must give strong support to jointly do a good job in the work of rural reform pilot zones.

The exchange meeting was chaired by Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture and convener of the joint meeting on rural reform pilot zone work. Chen Xiwen and Yuan Chunqing, deputy heads of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, and Bi Jingquan, Deputy Secretary-General of the State Council, attended the meeting. Wang Xuejun, Deputy Secretary of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee and Governor, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Responsible comrades from 7 rural reform pilot zones made exchange speeches. Heads of member units of the joint meeting on rural reform pilot zone work, as well as responsible persons of 58 rural reform pilot zones and more than 150 representatives attended the meeting. During the meeting, a training class on rural reform pilot zone work was held, providing special training for responsible personnel of governments and competent departments of rural reform pilot zones.