Q1: General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that in the process of modernization, how to deal with the relationship between workers and peasants, and the relationship between urban and rural areas, determines the success or failure of modernization to a certain extent. How to deeply understand the profound significance of promoting the integrated development of urban and rural areas?

Cheng Mingwang: Integrated urban-rural development is an inevitable requirement for Chinese-style modernization. First, urban-rural integrated development is not only a transformation at the economic level, but also a comprehensive upgrade of social development. Through urban-rural integration, the urban-rural divide is eliminated, thus promoting social harmony and stability. Second, integrated urban-rural development is an important path to rural revitalization and common prosperity. Rural revitalization is an overall and historic task related to the comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country; while common prosperity stands as the essence of Chinese-style modernization. Therefore, promoting urban-rural integration, realizing rural revitalization, and improving income distribution are essential steps that lay a solid foundation for achieving common prosperity. Third, urban-rural integrated development is an inevitable choice for high-quality development. Promoting urban-rural integrated development will help improve the mismatch of resources, enhance overall economic efficiency, and promote high-quality development through the virtuous cycle of urbanization, industrialization, informatization, and agricultural modernization. Fourth, integrated urban-rural development is an important embodiment of the people-centered development ideology. To ensure that the fruits of modernization benefit all people more extensively and equitably, promoting integrated urban-rural development is indispensable.

Q2: The Decision of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made a strategic deployment to “improve the institutional mechanism for urban-rural integrated development”. How can we fully grasp the rich connotation and clear requirements of integrated urban and rural development?

Cheng Mingwang: Urban-rural integrated development is a major transformation from the dual structure of urban and rural areas to the integrated development of urban and rural areas, and its connotations are very rich and can be understood from the following aspects: First, innovation in institutional mechanisms is the core. By deepening the reform of the land system and the household registration system, it promotes the equal exchange and two-way flow of urban and rural factors, and provides institutional safeguards for urban-rural integrated development. Second, synergistic development of industries is the key. Urban-rural integration is not just a one-way city “driving” the countryside, but also to realize the synergy of the urban and rural industrial chain. Develop rural specialty industries, strengthen the extension of the agricultural industry chain, consolidate the industrial foundation of rural development, so that rural areas become an important supplement to urban development. Third, the equalization of public services is the focus. Urban-rural integration is not only an economic problem to be solved, but also a social equity problem. From the perspective of supply capacity and demand balance of public services, it is necessary to think about the path of public service equalization and policy ideas. Fourth, the strengthening of cultural exchanges is the support. Rural areas are an important root of Chinese culture. Urban-rural integration is not only integration at the material level, but also exchange and inheritance at the cultural level. Through urban-rural integration, we can promote the protection and inheritance of outstanding traditional culture in rural areas, while absorbing modern urban culture and enhancing cultural self-confidence.

Q3: Common wealth is the essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics. To promote common prosperity, the most arduous and burdensome task lies in continuously narrowing the development gap between urban and rural areas. “Develop a new type of collective economy and take the road to common prosperity.” General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out the way forward for promoting common wealth in the countryside. What are the characteristics of the new collective economy? How to promote the healthy and orderly development of the new rural collective economy?

Cheng Mingwang: The new collective economy has the following significant features compared with the traditional collective economy: First, the property rights are clear. The new collective economy clarifies the rights and responsibilities relationship between the collective and its members through the share cooperative system, realizing the quantification of assets to households. The villagers are both members of the cooperative and shareholders. They not only enjoy the right to dividends but also participate in business decisions. Second, it is market-oriented. The new collective economy actively buttresses the market demand, and forms a stable source of income and improves economic efficiency through the development of diversified industries such as agricultural product processing, rural tourism, and e-commerce economy. Third, science and technology empowerment. The new collective economy incorporates modern agricultural science and digital technology, using intelligent agricultural machinery, big data platforms, Internet of Things technology, etc., to improve production efficiency and resource utilization. Fourth, benefit sharing. The new collective economy, through dividends, public welfare undertakings inputs and job creation, has effectively allowed collective profits to benefit all members, and has enhanced the cohesion of the collective economy and the sense of acquisition of the masses.

Promoting the healthy and orderly development of the new rural collective economy is summarized in two main aspects: on the one hand, the institutional environment should be improved. We should both improve the rural property rights system and strengthen policy support. On the other hand, internal governance should be strengthened. It is necessary to establish and improve the internal management system of collective economic organizations, enhance the level of trust among members within the organization, improve the supervision mechanism, ensure that the management of collective assets is lawful and compliant, and guard against internal contradictions and the problem of asset loss.

Q4: For the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside, the development of new quality agricultural productivity is a key move. How can the development of new productive forces be carried out throughout the entire process of comprehensive rural revitalization, and how can new productive forces be introduced into the entire field of promoting “strong agriculture, beautiful countryside and rich farmers”?

Cheng Mingwang: The role of new agricultural productivity is reflected at many levels: First, it promotes the strength of agriculture. Through the introduction of advanced technologies and management models, we can improve the productivity, quality and competitiveness of agriculture and promote the high-quality development of agriculture. Second, it helps make the countryside beautiful. By promoting water-saving irrigation, organic cultivation and other green production, it improves the rural ecological environment and builds a beautiful countryside. Third, it promotes the prosperity of farmers. Create income-generating channels for farmers, such as specialty agriculture, rural e-commerce and rural tourism, to promote farmers’ income.

To integrate the development of new agricultural productivity into the entire process of the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside, we need to start from the following aspects: First, science and technology leadership. Modern science and technology is the key to new quality productivity in agriculture, and it is necessary to strengthen the wide application of new modern agricultural technologies such as precision breeding technology, microbiome technology, and a new generation of sensor technology; at the same time, it is necessary to keep up with the wave of digitization, focus on the construction of agricultural digital platforms, and empower agricultural production and management with digital science and technology. Second, ecological priority. Implement the concept of green development, promote green planting and breeding models, protect the agro-ecological environment, and ensure the sustainability of agricultural production. Third, industrial integration. Promote the deep integration of agriculture and secondary and tertiary industries, build a modern agricultural industry chain, and broaden farmers’ income channels. Fourth, talent drive. The development of new agricultural productivity cannot be separated from the support of high-quality talents. Through the introduction of agricultural science and technology talents, cultivating skilled farmers, as well as attracting college students to return to their hometowns to start their own businesses, we can provide intellectual support for the comprehensive revitalization of the countryside.