The Third Plenary Session of the Fifteenth Central Committee of the CPC

It was convened in Beijing from October 12 to 14, 1998. The Plenary Session summed up the achievements and experiences of rural reform, deliberated and adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues concerning Agriculture and Rural Work” in accordance with the requirements of the new status of the situation. The meeting pointed out that agriculture, rural areas and farmers are the most important issues concerning China's Reform and Opening-up and modernization and that people must further strengthen the foundation of agriculture, maintain steady growth of farmers' income and maintain social stability in rural areas.

The “Decision” is divided into ten parts including the following: (1) Basic Experiences in the 20-Year Rural Reform; (2) Goals and Principles for the Cross-Century Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas; (3) Stabilizing the Double-Tier System That Combines Unified and Separated Operations on the Basis of the Household Contract Responsibility System; (4) Deepening the Reform of the Farm Produce Circulation System and Improving the Farm Produce Market System; (5) Accelerating Agricultural Capital Construction Centered on Water Conservancy Projects and Improving Agricultural Ecological Environment; (6) Optimizing Agriculture and Rural Economic Structure through Scientific and Technological Progress; (7) Intensifying the Efforts to Achieve a Moderate Level of Prosperity and Eliminating Poverty in Rural Areas; (8) Strengthening the Construction Of Democracy and Legal System at the Rural Grass-Roots Level; (9) Promoting Cultural and Ethical Progress in Rural Areas; (10) Strengthening the Building of Rural Grass-Roots Party Organizations and the Ranks of Rural Cadres.

The Plenary Session spoke highly of the tremendous achievements and rich experience created in the 20 years of rural reform, put forward the goal of building a new socialist countryside with Chinese characteristics from 1998 till the year 2010, and set out the guidelines that must be adhered to in order to achieve this goal. The Plenary Session stressed that firstly the basic economic system with public ownership as the mainstay and the common development of various ownership economies in tandem with the former; secondly, the agricultural production management system based on contracts under the household responsibility management which combines decentralized management method with unified management method; thirdly the distribution system which combines distribution according to labor contribution with the distribution according to the contribution by various factors of production must be adhered to in the long run. The Plenary Session carefully analyzed the international and domestic situation, pointed out that the current reform and development of China is in a very critical period, that this required to mobilize the whole Party and people of all nationalities, under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Jiang Zemin at its core, and required to strive for creating a new situation in China's agricultural and rural work, and comprehensively promote the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The Third Plenary Session of the 15th CPC Central Committee was an important Plenary Session which undertook the implementation of the strategic plan put forward by the 15th National Congress of the CPC. The “Decision” of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Agriculture and Rural Work adopted by the Plenary Session clearly put forward the cross century development goals and basic guidelines that must be followed in agriculture and rural work, made comprehensive arrangements in various aspects, and formulated relevant policies and measures, which was a program of action to guide the construction of the new socialist countryside. It was of great significance for creating a new situation in China's agricultural and rural work, for comprehensively pushing the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics into the 21st century, and achieve the grand goal of China's cross century development.