Central Rural Work Conference is held, Xi Jinping delivers instructions

BEIJING -- The Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing from Dec 29 to 30. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, those attending the conference thoroughly implemented the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and all plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, fully applied General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions and instructions on work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and followed through on the decisions of the Central Economic Work Conference. They analyzed the current situation and challenges confronting work in these areas and mapped out plans for work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers in 2026.

The CPC Central Committee attached great importance to this conference. Prior to the event, a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee issued clear requirements for ensuring the conference a success and advancing work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers.

President Xi, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, issued important instructions on advancing the work concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers. He noted that 2026 marks the first year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and doing a good job in this regard is crucial. He stressed the need to adhere to the guidance of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and all plenary sessions of the 20th CPC Central Committee, steadily advance the all-round revitalization of rural areas, and promote the integrated development of urban and rural areas, with focus on accelerating agricultural and rural modernization as the linchpin. It is imperative to make unremitting efforts to boost grain production; promote the integrated application of high-quality farmland, superior seeds, advanced machinery, and improved farming techniques to boost efficiency; and enhance the overall production capacity, quality, and efficiency of agriculture. It is also imperative to enhance the effectiveness of policies for strengthening agriculture, benefiting farmers and promoting rural prosperity; help maintain the prices of grain and other major agricultural products at a reasonable level, and promote steady income growth for farmers. It is a must to continuously consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation, integrate routine assistance measures into the rural revitalization strategy in a coordinated manner, and make sure that no large number of rural villagers become impoverished and those alleviated out of poverty do not become poverty-stricken again. It is imperative to learn from and apply the experience of the Green Rural Revival Program, advance the construction of beautiful villages suitable for living and working according to local conditions, and improve the level of rural governance and the development of civilized rural customs.

Xi stressed that Party committees and governments at all levels must take issues concerning agriculture, rural areas, and farmers as their first and foremost task. They must uphold the principle that Party secretaries at provincial, municipal, county, township and village levels all actively engage in rural revitalization. They must forge ahead with enterprise and work in a down-to-earth manner to develop agriculture into a modern large-scale industry, equip rural areas with basic conditions for modern living, and enable farmers to lead a more prosperous and happier life.

Xi's important instructions were conveyed and studied at the meeting, and the document "Directives of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Focusing on Agricultural and Rural Modernization and Solidly Advancing the All-Round Revitalization of Rural Areas (Draft for Discussion)" was discussed. Liu Guozhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and vice premier of the State Council, attended and addressed the meeting.

It was pointed out at the meeting that Xi's important instructions are strategically insightful and thought-provoking, having strong ideological guidance and practical relevance. They provide a clear direction for doing work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and must be conscientiously studied and resolutely implemented.

It was emphasized at the meeting that agricultural and rural modernization has a major bearing on Chinese modernization as a whole and the outcomes it delivers, and it is imperative to secure faster progress in building up China's strength in agriculture. Efforts were urged to secure the steady production of grain and oil crops, further advance a new round of initiatives for increasing grain production capacity by 50 million metric tons, and promote the cultivation of superior grain varieties and the improvement of grain quality. It is equally important to strengthen water conservancy infrastructure, enhance meteorological monitoring, forecasting, and early warning, so as to improve agricultural disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities. Work should be done to promote the quality and efficiency of the "vegetable basket" industry and enhance the capacity for diversified food supply. To strengthen farmland protection and quality improvement, the need was emphasized to ensure the line is never to be crossed when it comes to the protection of China's arable land from being occupied for non-agricultural purposes, and advance the high-quality development of high-standard cropland in different zones and categories. The meeting also called for research and breakthroughs in core agricultural technologies in key fields and the efficient application of scientific and technological achievements, developing new quality productive forces in agriculture according to local conditions.

It is essential to coordinate efforts to build the regular mechanisms for preventing rural residents from becoming poverty-stricken and those alleviated out of poverty from becoming poverty-stricken again and improve the regular supportive policies, continue to support the development of underdeveloped areas, and consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation. It is imperative to spare no effort to ensure stable income growth for farmers, and refine the mechanisms for ensuring the incomes of grain growers. Efforts should be coordinated to ensure sound delivery of services for rural migrant workers seeking employment outside their hometowns and help those returning to hometowns start businesses or find jobs, so as to stabilize employment for migrant workers. County industries should be fostered and expanded, and so should the channels and methods for farmers to participate in industrial development, and the mechanisms for linking farmers with agricultural development should be improved. It is imperative to refine the system for implementation of policies for rural development in accordance with local conditions, coordinate and optimize the layout of territorial space for rural areas, speed up shoring up weaknesses concerning the modern living conditions in rural areas, and create high-quality living space for rural residents. It is essential to continuously improve the living environments in rural areas, and address issues such as renovation of restrooms and garbage pollution control with relentless perseverance. Good results should be delivered from elections of primary-level organizations in rural areas, and the capacity of rural governance guided by Party building should be improved. Further efforts are required to launch projects to enhance social etiquette and civility in rural areas, and continue to transform outdated social customs and habits. The Fengqiao model for promoting community-level governance in the new era should be applied and further developed, so as to resolve all kinds of conflicts and disputes in a timely manner to maintain stability and harmony in rural areas. Efforts should be made to further deepen rural reform, advance comprehensive province-wide pilot programs to extend rural land contract terms for another 30 years after the second round expires, make good use of various rural resources in a standardized and orderly way, innovate mechanisms for investment and financing in rural revitalization, and continuously inject momentum and vitality into rural development.

The need was stressed at the meeting to strengthen the Party's overall leadership in work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, enhance the capacity of Party and government officials at all levels to advance work in this area, and make sure those in charge are held accountable for rural revitalization, so as to ensure that all tasks are carried out effectively. It is imperative for officials to have a correct understanding of what it means to perform well, act consciously in accordance with the way things should be done, and fully unleash rural residents' enthusiasm for hard work and entrepreneurship for achieving new progress in all-round rural revitalization while elevating agricultural and rural modernization to a higher level.

The first plenary meeting was chaired by Wu Zhenglong, a state councilor and secretary-general of the State Council.

Members of the Central Leading Group on Rural Work, leading officials from provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, cities specifically designated in the state plan and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as those from relevant central and state departments, people's organizations, financial institutions and enterprises, and relevant departments under the Central Military Commission, attended the meeting.