Themed “Boosting Rural Vitalization with the Achievements of Poverty Alleviation,” the 2021 Rural Vitalization Forum was held on Monday in Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The forum, which was co-hosted by People’s Daily Online, the China Society of Cooperative Economics (CSCE), the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Department of Commerce of Guangxi, featured keynote speeches, the releasing of key reports, and roundtable dialogues on a wide range of topics regarding policymaking, roadmaps, and the practical experiences of China’s rural vitalization efforts.
Liu Xiaofeng, vice chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, delivered the opening speech via a video link, in which he stressed that Chinese society should carry forward the spirit of the battle against poverty and consolidate the outcomes from the country’s fight against poverty to ensure the high-quality and efficient growth of China’s agricultural industry, making the countryside more liveable and the farmers living in these areas more financially well-off.
Zhang Jianxing, former vice president of the People’s Daily and chairman of the China Newspaper Association, highlighted that the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government have always put a premium on their work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers, having placed it at the top of their agenda. “To advance rural vitalization across the board represents a historic shift of priorities,” said Zhang, adding that it is of profound practical and historical significance to the realization of the Chinese Dream of great national rejuvenation.
In his speech, Zhang also pointed out that the forum, as a high-end dialogue platform, would facilitate thorough analysis and in-depth discussion on the new developments and key issues pertaining to rural vitalization. “I hope that through dialogues various ideas can collide to form into good policy recommendations, lending more brainpower to China’s rural vitalization drive,” he said.
CSCE deputy chairman, Chen Jianhua, underscored that the special occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC had rendered this year’s forum to be of a particularly memorable value. “Since its founding, the CPC has always placed the work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers at the top of China’s revolution and development undertakings,” he said.
Chen highlighted that the rural vitalization strategy, introduced and implemented by the CPC Central Committee, is anchored in China’s Two Centenary Goals with an aim at transforming agriculture into a promising industry, farming into an attractive profession and rural areas into a homeland where people can live in peace and enjoy their work, doing so by mobilizing all members of the Party and the larger society.
People’s Daily Online, the organizer of the forum, has continued to attach great importance to the reporting and publicity of China’s rural vitalization drive. The media company has integrated various channels, including print publications, websites, mobile applications, as well as social media platforms such as Weibo and Douyin (a video streaming platform), in an effort to raise public awareness about the cause.
At this year’s forum, People’s Daily Online launched its “People’s Choice—100 Cities and 100 Products” project and has joined hands with local governments in Guangxi to promote local farm produce. A report on improving county-level commercial systems and unleashing consumption potential in rural areas was also issued at the forum.