Rural reform and development must be based on stability and advanced steadily

When agriculture is stable, the whole country is secure. With a solid agricultural foundation, harmonious and stable rural areas, and farmers living and working in contentment, the overall situation is guaranteed and all work will be carried out from a position of greater initiative. In studying and implementing General Secretary Xi Jinping's recent important speech at the rural reform symposium in Xiaogang Village, we must firmly grasp the context of the times - that building a moderately prosperous society in all respects has entered the decisive stage and that downward pressure on the economy remains relatively heavy - and deeply understand the great significance of advancing rural reform and development on the basis of "stability" and of steadying the "ballast stone" of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, so as to push the work on agriculture, rural areas and farmers to constantly achieve new results.

Taking "stability" as the foundation means steadying the sound momentum of agricultural and rural development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, grain output has increased year after year, farmers' incomes have grown fairly rapidly, and rural reform has been deepened. The sound situation in agriculture and rural areas has played a major role in gaining the initiative in overall work. At the same time, many new circumstances and new problems have emerged in agriculture and rural areas, and some contradictions and problems have accumulated, especially as grain production has shifted from a past overall shortage to relatively prominent structural contradictions. Against such a background, ensuring that no major mishap occurs in agriculture and rural areas is particularly crucial. We must understand and grasp the position of agriculture and rural areas in the overall situation from a political height, always make solving the issues of agriculture, rural areas and farmers a top priority in the work of the whole Party, and never at any time neglect agriculture, forget farmers or become indifferent to rural areas. The drive to address agriculture, rural areas and farmers can only be intensified, not relaxed, and we must resolutely prevent any tendency to neglect or loosen work on agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and resolutely prevent a reversal of the sustained sound momentum of agricultural and rural development. As the General Secretary pointed out at the symposium, rural stability is a vital interest of the broad masses of farmers. To steady the sound momentum of agriculture and rural areas, we must take safeguarding and improving people's livelihood as the priority direction, strengthen and innovate rural social governance, and enable the broad masses of farmers to have access to education, medical care, elderly care and housing, so that rural areas become stable, orderly, clean and tidy happy homes.

Taking "stability" as the foundation means stabilizing the basic rural operating system. The two-tier operating system based on household contract operation and combining unified and separate operations is China's basic rural operating system and an important cornerstone of our Party's rural policy. General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that under the new situation, in deepening rural reform, the main thread remains properly handling the relationship between farmers and land. The greatest policy is that we must uphold and improve the basic rural operating system, uphold collective ownership of rural land, uphold the foundational position of household operation, and uphold stable land contract relationships. Historical experience and the practice of rural reform have proven that this basic system reflects the inherent requirements and essential features of socialism with Chinese characteristics, conforms to China's basic national conditions and fits the characteristics of agricultural production. It has greatly liberated and developed rural social productive forces and won the widespread support of the broad masses of farmers, and it is a major institutional achievement of rural reform. We must uphold this basic system over the long term and constantly improve it, and must never waver in the slightest. No matter how the rural collective property rights system is reformed, we must never lose the "soul" of collective farmer ownership of rural land; no matter how new types of operating entities develop, we must never shake the foundational position of household operation.

Taking "stability" as the foundation means maintaining the continuity and stability of policies that strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers and enrich farmers. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the successful practices and experience of rural reform must be upheld over the long term and constantly improved. In recent years, we have adhered to the principles of industry repaying agriculture, cities supporting rural areas, and giving more, taking less and loosening control, coordinated urban and rural economic and social development, and initially formed a policy system for safeguarding national food security, strengthening agricultural support and protection, promoting sustainable agricultural development, building a new type of agricultural operating system, advancing urban-rural integration, and improving rural governance mechanisms. Practice has proven that the Party's policies on agriculture, rural areas and farmers are correct and effective, and are sincerely supported by the broad masses of farmers. We must maintain the continuity and stability of these policies and constantly innovate and improve them in practice, ensuring that the intensity of policies that strengthen agriculture, benefit farmers and enrich farmers does not diminish, so that the broad masses of farmers have a greater sense of gain.

"The great plan's eight governance principles place food first in governance." Under the new situation, by upholding and improving the successful practices and experience of rural reform, maintaining the momentum of development, consolidating the institutional foundation, and stimulating policy vitality, we will certainly be able to seek progress while maintaining stability and achieve progress within stability, and write a new chapter in the work on agriculture, rural areas and farmers during the crucial stage of the 13th Five-Year Plan for decisively building a moderately prosperous society in all respects.