The just concluded 3rd plenary session of the 17th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has again pushed China into the limelight, as much of the rest of the world is struggling with a crippling financial crisis and the fear of a protracted recession. The deliberations on quickening rural development and raising farmers' incomes are considered momentous, capturing the world attention to the country with a vast territory of countryside and feeding the world's largest population of farmers.
Evening Post, an Italian newspaper with the country's largest circulation, released a report on Oct.13, stating that this is the first time in 30 years that the CPC has come up with a truly comprehensive approach to rural progress in which we see a good chance of success. The paper said that the decision the CPC has made to push ahead with rural reforms is aimed at raising farmers' incomes and impelling the rural productivity, in a bid to transform the rural economic scenario, narrow the rural-urban gap, and stimulate the domestic demands.
The paper also pointed that the breakthroughs China has made since 1980s in the contract-based household management system, and rural finance, are revolutionary moves in their own right. The notable Italian news agency, Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, or ANSA also echoed the statements citing that with the specific goal of doubling farmers' 2008 per capita income by 2020, the picture of the ‘new countryside' on the CPC' drawing board looks more appealing than ever, as the achievement of the goal will benefit the Chinese farmers, or more than half of the country's population.
The British newspaper, Financial Times, published an editorial the same day hailing the meeting, saying that the meeting will provide the popular legal support to some reforms and steps which have taken place in the past decades. It added the meeting marks a decisive step towards a new era of China's vast countryside.
Guardian, another British newspaper, also published an article following the CPC meeting, entitled ‘Bold reforms will free Chinese farmers,' in which it cited some experts as saying, ‘the newly issued land reform policies allow the Chinese farmers to enjoy more rights for free choice in the land management, which will help enhance the rural productivity and increase farmers' incomes'
Japanese Kyodo News Agency released a brief report Oct 12 on the sidelines of the session, mentioning not only the newly staged economic policies aimed to stimulate consumption and the rural policies to double farmers' incomes, but also the meeting's specific goals in terms of breaking down the dual rural-urban structure and streamlining the land management. The report deemed that the CPC placing rural issues on its top agendas is due to the fact that the rise in farmers' incomes will contribute to the economic growth and social stability.
The Japanese Economy News newspaper turned out an editorial citing China's economic goals, saying to stimulate its domestic consumption, China will have to benefit its farmers, who take up more than half of the country's population, by raising their incomes and developing rural economy. It added that to anticipate China's unfolding economic shift from being dominated by foreign demands to mainly resorting to domestic demands, we have to admit that the CPC moves in the direction of rural reforms deserve much more attention.
NHK, or the Japanese Broadcasting corporation, covered the meeting on Oct12, pointing that China is intending to take positive measures like expanding the domestic demands and stabilizing finance in face of the global financial turmoil, and it is an essential step for China to double farmers' per capita income by 2020 and generally escalate farmers' consumption level, in an effort to stabilize China's economy.
By People's Daily Online
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