Balanced development benefits all

By CnAgri Print

Vice-Premier Li Keqiang pointed out in his meeting with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim that China has already become a middle-income country, but its development is far from balanced. However, the differences between urban and rural areas mean China has huge potential in the development of its backward countryside, says an article in China Business News. Excerpts:

The urbanization ratio of China has already surpassed 50 percent in the last 10 years. China has already entered a new era of development as the urban-resident population exceeds that of rural areas for the first time in history.

But many of the new urban residents, such as the migrant workers working and living in the city, do not have urban household registrations and cannot enjoy the same social insurance as their urban counterparts. This is the unbalance Li was talking about. If the disparities between urban and rural residents are not addressed, it will be very difficult for China to translate the urbanization process into a driving force for development.

First, China should remove the institutional differences that define the identity and treatment of urban and rural people, which date back to Chinese history. Breakthroughs in this field will mark an important step forward for Chinese modernization. As China becomes a middle-income country, these institutional differences should be replaced by a fair system that ensures more people can enjoy the fruits of China's economic growth.

Second, agriculture has existed as an important subsidizer for the industry sector in China. The shrinking rural population does not mean that China can overlook the decline of agriculture. On the contrary, China must attach more importance to the modernization of its agriculture that features wide applications of agricultural science and technology. The localized urbanization based on a well-developed countryside causes fewer social problems than the city-centered urbanization in China accompanied by the collapse of China's rural communities.

Third, the development of China's countryside should be kept in sync with urban development. For example, the government must ensure villagers are not left behind in the development of the Information Age, which benefits Chinese cities and changes the lifestyle of Chinese urban life and governance. Avoiding the digital gap is necessary to fulfill the rural-and-urban gap.

In short, it is necessary and urgent to let more Chinese, regardless of their identities, enjoy the dividends of China's development through deepening system reform. Only a healthy urbanization and a balanced development between city and village can transform the urbanization as a reliable driving force for China's sustainable development.

Source：Chinadaily.com.cn