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

The Third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee was convened in Beijing from October 9 to 12, 2008. The Plenary Session heard and discussed Hu Jintao's work report entrusted by the Central Political Bureau, and considered and adopted the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Big Issues on Promoting the Reform and Development of Rural Areas".

The Plenary Session emphasized that the overall situation in China is good, the economy maintains rapid growth, the financial sector is running steadily, and the basic trend of China's economic development has not changed. The Plenary Session studied a number of major issues to promote rural reform and development under the new situation.

The “Decision” pointed out that agriculture, rural areas, farmers issues are closely related to the overall development of the Party and the State. The whole Party must be deeply aware that agriculture is a strategic industry for the security of people and the security of the country, and without modernization of agriculture there is no national modernization, without rural prosperity and stability, there is no national prosperity and stability, and without the overall well-off farmers, there is no overall well-off people.

The “Decision” considered that the current international situation continues to undergo profound changes, and China's reform and development entered a critical stage. China's rural areas are undergoing new changes, China's agricultural participation in international cooperation and competition is facing a new situation for promoting rural reform and development with many favorable conditions, but also in the face of many difficulties and challenges, China must be vigilant, redouble our efforts to continuously consolidate and develop the good situation in rural areas.

The “Decision” pointed out that the construction of a new socialist countryside as a strategic task, that taking the path of agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics as the basic direction, for accelerating the integration of urban and rural economic and social development of the new pattern as a fundamental requirement, that adhering to the industry to feed agriculture, urban support for rural areas and more to less to take the policy, for promoting the economic and social development of rural economy and society.

The Plenary Session emphasized that China generally entered a stage of development to promote agriculture, urban and rural areas, to accelerate the transformation of traditional agriculture, the key moment to take the path of modernization of agriculture with Chinese characteristics, into an important period of efforts to break the dual structure of urban and rural areas, the formation of a new pattern of integration of urban and rural economic and social development.

The Plenary Session put forward the basic objectives and tasks of rural reform and development by 2020 and the major principles to be followed, and made arrangements for the current and future period to promote rural reform and development. The “Decision” underlined that the key to promoting rural reform and development is the Party. To achieve the great objective of building a moderately prosperous society, the most arduous and difficult task is in rural areas, and the most extensive and deepest foundation is also in the rural areas. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen and improve the leadership of the Party to provide strong political assurance to promote rural reform and development.