Time to repay the historical debt cities owe to the countryside

THE DECISION made at the just-concluded 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to revitalize the countryside marks a turning point to reverse the decline of rural areas in China as a result of its city-centered industrialization and urbanization. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

The authorities should first of all face up squarely to the problems confronting the countryside. Although the incomes of rural residents have grown faster than the incomes of urban residents, there is still a large gap between them in favor of the latter, as well as among different regions. For instance, the average disposable income in Shanghai is nearly eight times that of the farmers in Northwest China’s Gansu province.

The comparative poverty of rural areas in terms of income, public services, social security and development opportunities, especially the remote inland regions, constitute the biggest obstacle hindering the revitalization of the countryside.

Unchecked environmental degradation, poor healthcare and education facilities and the low profitability of farming have prompted nearly 300 million rural villagers to seek better lives in cities as migrant workers, even if they cannot enjoy the public services as urban residents. This has created large numbers of left-behind children and senior citizens in rural areas.

Policymakers should not only focus on raising the incomes of rural residents, though it is one of the most important factors in boosting rural development, but also meet their needs for better living conditions, public services and development opportunities.

The government should take concrete measures to promote the flow of funds, technology and talents from cities to the countryside to bridge the development gap, while at the same time protecting the property rights of villagers.