Integrated urban-rural development is a crucial indicator of Chinese modernization. It serves as a key means to break down the dual urban-rural structure, expand the space for high-quality development, and achieve shared prosperity for all people.
"It is necessary to deeply implement the strategic action of new urbanization, promote the two-way flow of production factors, and form a new pattern of integrated urban-rural development." This statement in the government work report once again makes "integrated urban-rural development" one of the focal topics.
For Sichuan with both big cities and large rural areas, integrated urban-rural development is the route that the province must take. What has it done in this aspect, and what will it do in the future? At the "two sessions", NPC deputies and CPPCC members had a heated discussion on this topic.
Relying on pilot zones, we promote a number of typical cases nationwide
Sichuan undertakes an important national pilot task to promote integrated urban-rural development. In December 2019, 18 state ministries and commissions including the National Development and Reform Commission jointly issued the Notice of Conducting the National Urban-Rural Integration Pilot Zone Program. West Chengdu was listed as one of the 11 national pilot zones for integrated urban-rural development.
What has Chengdu achieved in building the pilot zone? Yang Jiande, a CPPCC member and Vice Chairman of the CPPCC Chengdu Municipal Committee, said that over the past four years, west Chengdu has made continuous efforts with the focus on five key pilot tasks: establishing an orderly migration system for urban-rural population, establishing a system for rural collective construction land entering the market, improving rural property rights mortgage guarantee functions, building a platform for coordinated development of urban and rural industries, and establishing a mechanism to realize the value of ecological products. In 2022, the ratio of per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents in west Chengdu was 1.65, 0.2 lower than that in 2019 and 0.67 lower than the provincial average. Typical cases such as "Annong Academy" in Pidu District and "Joint Operation by Hundreds of Households" in Wenjiang District have been promoted nationwide, and the pilot zone has achieved remarkable results in reform and development.
Tao Xunhua, an NPC deputy, Secretary of the CPC Committee of Minjiang Village, and Director of Minjiang Village Committee in Shou'an Town, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, has the right to speak about Wenjiang's "Joint Operation by Hundreds of Households". She told the reporter that most villagers want to start businesses, but they either lack funding or technical skills, making it difficult to take the first step in rural entrepreneurship. Inspired by the idea of "Joint Operation by Hundreds of Households", Minjiang Village launched the development mode of "Minjiang Family Banquet". Villagers built their courtyards and vegetable plots into "shared spaces", and unemployed women became "cooks", thus forming a new scenario of rural consumption and a new idea for rural development.
Sichuan is looking forward to shouldering more missions. At the "two sessions" this year, several CPPCC members including Yang Jiande submitted a joint proposal on Expanding and Deepening National Pilot Zones for Integrated Urban-Rural Development, hoping to offer richer experience of Sichuan to national pilot zones for integrated urban-rural development based on a greater diversity of experiments.
To become a model, there must be a good foundation. Where does Sichuan's confidence come from? According to many NPC deputies and CPPCC members, since the 18th CPC National Congress, the province has adhered to classified guidance and targeted measures, highlighted industrial development in counties, and continuously enhanced the overall strength of county economy. In 2022, 13 districts of Sichuan were listed among China's top 100 districts, ranking fourth in the country and first in west China; 37 counties (cities) of the province were listed among top 100 counties in west China, ranking first in the total number of shortlisted counties, laying a good foundation for promoting urban-rural integrated development.
Adhering to the people-oriented principle, we advance new urbanization in an all-around way
Where can we find a way to contribute more? As mentioned by several NPC deputies and CPPCC members, the government work report has given the answer.
Li Ming, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and Deputy Mayor of Panzhihua City, noted that the government work report clearly proposed to cultivate and develop county economy, improve weak links in infrastructure and public services, and make counties become important carriers for new urbanization.
As a pathfinder of building a pilot zone for achieving common prosperity, how does Panzhihua respond? Li Ming said that Panzhihua will adhere to smart growth and focus on strengthening counties' industrial support, improving their functional quality and enhancing their bearing capacity. "To strengthen counties' industrial support, Panzhihua will focus on local specialties, and speed up the construction of common prosperity consortia in fields such as vanadium-titanium industry, healthcare tourism and resort industry, and coordinated regional development based on concerted efforts from the city and its counties. The city will also encourage all counties (districts) to enhance their strength by developing differentiated characteristic industries, compete in new arenas and industries, lay out future industries, and consolidate county-level industrial foundation."
Tang Lijun, an NPC deputy and professor at Sichuan Vocational and Technical College, also has his own thoughts about county economy. In his view, it is crucial to build a development platform and expand development space in promoting the development of county economy. "It is suggested to take industrial parks as an important carrier for the development of county-level industrial agglomeration, undertake the industrial transfer from central cities and guide the transfer of urban supporting industries to counties. Relying on the rural resource endowment, we will develop the secondary and tertiary industries, extend the industrial chain, upgrade the value chain, improve the supply chain, and promote the overall upgrading and development of county economy."
New urbanization must be oriented towards people. The government work report proposed to give priority to working faster to grant permanent urban residency to eligible people who move from rural to urban areas, deepen the reform of the household registration system, improve the policy of linking people, land and funds, allow migrant workers who are willing to settle in cities to obtain permanent urban residency, and promote equal access to basic public services for permanent residents who have not been granted permanent urban residency.
"The contents mentioned in the government work report are indeed some of the concerns of the people who want to settle in the cities. They worry about unstable job opportunities and no access to equal public services, such as children's education and healthcare for the elderly. That's why many people choose to work in cities, but their household registration remains in rural areas." Liu Yanying, an NPC deputy, Party branch secretary of Long'en Village, Wenhua Town, Anyue County, and Director of the village committee, believes that during their exploration, all localities should systematically solve problems for farmers to enter cities from the institutional perspective, so as to ensure that they are willing to leave their homes and come and stay in cities, enjoy a better life, integrate into the cities and pursue sustainable development, and to advance people-centered new urbanization.
