China faces six difficulties in building overall moderate prosperity in rural areas despite an annual progress of 5.4 percent from 2000 to 2004 based on an analysis on 18 indicators in this regard, said Xu Yifan, deputy head of the National Bureau of Statistics at a recent seminar on accelerating rural development.

The difficulties include: first, continued increase of farmer's income. The realization of per capita disposable income is rather low among other indicators. Farmer's per capita income in 2005 was 3,255 yuan which, after adjusting for inflation, was only at the 1992 level of urban residents. Second, pressure of resource and environment, which makes it hard to improve rural residents' living environment. Third, slow urbanization process and hard labor transfer. Fourth, low level education for farmers. Fifth, inadequate medical care and social security. In 2005, a total number of 179 million people joined the new-type cooperative medical care for rural areas, which covered only 20 percent of the country's rural population and is far from the 90 percent target set for 2020. Sixth, regional gap remains large and coordinated development is hard. Judging from indicators, rural areas in western regions are ten years behind those in eastern regions, and around five years behind central areas.

Construction must be accelerated to attain the goal of building a moderately prosperous countryside in all respects by 2020, said Zheng Xinli from Policy Research Center of the CPC Central Committee. First we should put the increase of farmers' income as top priority and set up long-term mechanisms by further adjusting agricultural structure, enhancing industrial support to agriculture and urban support to rural areas. Besides, social undertakings in rural areas must be quickened such as education, health care and social security. We should also enhance infrastructure in rural areas, intensify support to western parts of the country and promote coordinated development between different regions.

By People's Daily Online