Steadily Advance Common Prosperity through Integrated Urban-Rural Development

Cities and the countryside, as two spatial-territorial carriers of economic and social development, each bear different functions and missions. The ideal state of urban-rural relations is one in which city and countryside are equal in status, interdependent, complementary in function, and mutually reinforcing. The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese-path Modernization, reviewed and approved at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, [1]1 The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC: A major meeting held in July 2024 that adopted a landmark decision on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese-path modernization. lists "improving the institutional mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development" as one of the major reform tasks, clearly stating that "integrated urban-rural development is an inevitable requirement of Chinese-path modernization," and emphasizing that "we must coordinate new industrialization, new urbanization, and comprehensive rural revitalization, comprehensively raise the level of integration in urban-rural planning, construction, and governance, promote equal exchange and two-way flow of urban and rural factors, narrow the urban-rural gap, and promote common prosperity and development in both city and countryside." This points the direction and charts the path for promoting integrated urban-rural development and achieving common prosperity.

城市与乡村，作为经济社会发展的两个空间地域载体，各自承载着不同的功能和使命。城乡关系的理想状态是城市和农村地位平等、互为依存、功能互补、互促互进。党的二十届三中全会审议通过的《中共中央关于进一步全面深化改革、推进中国式现代化的决定》将“完善城乡融合发展体制机制”列为重大改革任务之一，明确提出“城乡融合发展是中国式现代化的必然要求”，强调“必须统筹新型工业化、新型城镇化和乡村全面振兴，全面提高城乡规划、建设、治理融合水平，促进城乡要素平等交换、双向流动，缩小城乡差别，促进城乡共同繁荣发展”。这为推动城乡融合发展、实现共同富裕指明了方向，规划了路径。

1. Shape the Pattern of Common Prosperity through Spatial Integration

1.以空间融合塑造共同富裕格局

Advancing urban-rural spatial integration aims to break the urban-rural division, bridge the inequality of urban-rural spatial resources and remove obstacles to the exchange of spatial resources, achieve balance and coordination in urban-rural development, and create a more fair, just, and sustainable development environment for common prosperity. To this end, efforts can be focused on the following aspects:

推进城乡空间融合旨在打破城乡分割，弥合城乡空间资源不对等和消除空间资源交换阻碍，实现城乡发展的均衡性与协调性，为共同富裕创造更加公平、公正、可持续的发展环境。对此，可在以下几方面重点推进：

Take scientific planning as the guide to optimize the urban-rural spatial layout. Scientific planning is the prerequisite for achieving urban-rural spatial integration. An integrated urban-rural development plan should be formulated, clarifying the positioning, goals, and integration paths of urban and rural development. Comprehensively consider factors such as land use, industrial development, residential construction, improvement of the human settlement environment, ecological protection, disaster prevention and mitigation, and historical and cultural heritage, and compile practical urban-rural integrated development plans that "integrate multiple plans into one" [2]2 "Integrate multiple plans into one" (多规合一): A Chinese spatial planning reform that coordinates various sectoral plans (land use, urban development, environmental protection, etc.) into a single blueprint for a region, to avoid conflicts and inefficiencies. to promote the free flow of urban-rural factors and optimal allocation of resources. Strengthen the connection and coordination of urban and rural plans to ensure that various plans are mutually connected in content and coordinated in space, forming a sound pattern of urban-rural spatial integration.

以科学规划为引领，优化城乡空间布局。科学规划是实现城乡空间融合的前提，应制定城乡一体化发展规划，明确城乡发展的定位、目标和融合路径。通盘考虑土地利用、产业发展、居民点建设、人居环境整治、生态保护、防灾减灾和历史文化传承等因素，编制“多规合一”的实用性城乡融合发展规划，促进城乡要素自由流动和资源优化配置。加强城乡规划的衔接和协调，确保各项规划在内容上相互衔接、空间上相互协调，形成城乡空间融合的良好格局。

Strengthen urban-rural infrastructure construction and enhance connectivity. Infrastructure is the hardware foundation for achieving urban-rural spatial integration. Increase investment in rural infrastructure, especially in rural transportation, water conservancy, and communications, to narrow the urban-rural infrastructure gap and improve production and living conditions in rural areas. Accelerate the large-scale deployment of 5G networks, promote the upgrade of gigabit optical fiber networks, promote the rapid development of the Internet of Things, improve the IoT access capability combining fixed and mobile, narrowband and broadband, and build a spatial infrastructure system covering urban and rural areas with efficient operation in communications, navigation, and remote sensing. Establish and improve a mechanism for joint management, protection, and sharing of urban-rural infrastructure to raise the level of rural infrastructure completeness.

加强城乡基础设施建设，提升互联互通水平。基础设施是实现城乡空间融合的硬件基础。要加大对农村基础设施的投资力度，尤其是加强农村的交通、水利、通讯等基础设施建设，缩小城乡基础设施差距，提升农村地区的生产生活条件。加快5G网络规模化部署，推广升级千兆光纤网络，促进物联网快速发展，提高固移融合、宽窄结合的物联接入能力，打造覆盖城乡、高效运行的通信、导航、遥感空间基础设施体系。建立健全城乡基础设施共管共护共享机制，提高乡村基础设施完备度。

Vigorously promote new urbanization with county towns as important carriers. Respect the laws of county town development, fill the weaknesses and shortcomings of county towns according to local conditions, and strengthen the construction of central towns, market towns, and characteristic towns. Give play to the positive role of towns in population aggregation, industrial concentration, and comprehensive carrying capacity, promote farmers to find employment and start businesses locally or nearby, and attract more agricultural transfer population to settle in county towns. Actively guide the effective connection between agricultural industries and urban markets, organize and arrange production according to changes in market demand, introduce advanced production factors and management methods, cultivate new agricultural business entities such as family farms and farmer cooperatives, rely on new technologies, new processes, and new products to develop new industries, new business forms, and boost high-quality agricultural development.

大力推动以县城为重要载体的新型城镇化建设。尊重县城发展规律，因地制宜补齐县城短板弱项，强化中心镇、集镇和特色小镇建设。发挥城镇在人口集聚、产业集中和综合承载等方面的积极作用，促进农民就地就近就业创业，吸引更多的农业转移人口落户县城。积极引导农业产业与城市市场有效对接，按照市场需求的变化组织安排生产，引入先进生产要素和管理方式，培育家庭农场、农民合作社等新型农业经营主体，依靠新技术、新工艺和新产品，发展新产业、新业态，助推农业高质量发展。

2. Consolidate the Foundation of Common Prosperity through Industrial Integration

2.以产业融合夯实共同富裕基础

Urban-rural industrial integration requires that, based on the respective advantages of cities and countryside, urban and rural industries complement and promote each other. This is the material foundation for seeking common prosperity in urban and rural areas. In practice, exploration can be carried out from aspects such as optimizing the industrial structure, promoting technological innovation, and strengthening policy guidance.

城乡产业融合要求立足城乡各自优势，推动城乡产业互补互促，这是谋求城乡共同富裕的物质基础。在实践中，可从优化产业结构、推动科技创新、加强政策引导等方面进行探索。

Optimize the industrial structure and promote urban-rural industrial complementarity. Cities should focus on developing technology-intensive and capital-intensive industries, such as information technology, biotechnology, and high-end manufacturing, to enhance the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the city. In the surrounding areas of the city, modern agriculture, rural tourism, etc., can be developed to complement urban industries. The countryside should rely on its natural resource advantages, develop specialty agriculture and deep processing of agricultural products, actively promote the development of new industries, new business forms, and new models in rural areas, integrate and gather elements such as production, processing, warehousing, and logistics, continuously extend the agricultural industry chain, and promote deep integration of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. Encourage urban enterprises to transfer to rural areas, driving rural economic development. Through industrial complementarity, form an industrial pattern of urban-rural advantage complementarity and coordinated development.

优化产业结构，推动城乡产业互补。城市应重点发展技术密集型、资金密集型产业，如信息技术、生物科技、高端制造等，以提升城市的竞争力和创新能力。在城市周边地区，可以发展现代农业、乡村旅游等，与城市产业形成互补。农村则应依托自然资源优势，发展特色农业、农产品深加工，积极推动农村新产业、新业态、新模式发展，将生产、加工、仓储、物流等要素聚集整合，不断延伸农业产业链条，推动一二三产业深度融合。鼓励城市企业向农村转移，带动农村经济发展。通过产业互补，形成城乡优势互补、协同发展的产业格局。

Promote technological innovation and enhance the competitiveness of urban-rural industries. Increase support for technological innovation in urban-rural industrial integration, promote the widespread application of new technologies, new processes, and new equipment in urban-rural industries. Build platforms such as agricultural science and technology parks and modern agricultural demonstration zones to raise the level of agricultural science and technology and promote agricultural industry upgrading. Develop "Internet +" modern agriculture, use e-commerce models to improve the ability and efficiency of entering the market, and let farmers share more of the value-added income of agricultural products. Strengthen scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation between cities and rural areas, promote the transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements between urban and rural areas, and enhance the innovation and competitiveness of urban-rural industries.

推动科技创新，提升城乡产业竞争力。加大对城乡产业融合的科技创新支持力度，推动新技术、新工艺、新装备在城乡产业中的广泛应用。建设农业科技园区、现代农业示范区等平台，提升农业科技水平，推动农业产业升级。发展“互联网+”现代农业，运用电商模式，提高进入市场的能力和效率，让农民更多分享农产品的增值收益。加强城市与农村之间的科技交流与合作，促进科技成果在城乡之间的转移和转化，提升城乡产业的创新力和竞争力。

Strengthen policy guidance and promote coordinated development of urban-rural industries. In policy design, attention should be paid to the optimal allocation and sharing of urban-rural resources, strengthen the construction of urban-rural transportation, information, logistics and other infrastructure, break down the barriers of urban-rural division, and promote seamless connection between urban and rural areas. Encourage and support the development of characteristic industries in rural areas, promote the transformation and upgrading of agricultural product processing, rural tourism and other industries, and increase the added value and competitiveness of rural industries. Increase policy support in fiscal, tax, and financial aspects for the coordinated development of urban-rural industries, provide a fairer and more transparent market environment for urban and rural enterprises, reduce enterprise operating costs, and stimulate market vitality. Strengthen policy support for technological innovation and talent training, promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, cultivate emerging industries, and provide a steady stream of impetus for the coordinated development of urban-rural industries. In the process of policy implementation, the government should also strengthen supervision and evaluation to ensure that policy measures are implemented and achieve results. Actively learn from successful domestic and foreign experiences, combine with local realities, continuously innovate policy instruments, and promote coordinated urban-rural industrial development to new heights.

加强政策引导，推动城乡产业协同发展。在政策设计上，应注重城乡资源的优化配置和共享，加强城乡交通、信息、物流等基础设施建设，打破城乡分割壁垒，推动城乡实现无缝对接。鼓励和支持农村发展特色产业，促进农产品加工、乡村旅游等产业转型升级，提升农村产业附加值和竞争力。加大对城乡产业协同发展的财政、税收、金融等方面的政策支持力度，为城乡企业提供更加公平透明的市场环境，降低企业运营成本，激发市场活力。加强科技创新和人才培养的政策支持力度，推动传统产业转型升级，培育新兴产业，为城乡产业协同发展提供源源不断的动力。在政策执行过程中，政府还应加强监督和评估，确保政策措施落到实处、取得实效。积极借鉴国内外成功经验，结合本地实际，不断创新政策手段，推动城乡产业协同发展不断迈上新台阶。

3. Stimulate the Driving Force of Common Prosperity through Factor Integration

3.以要素融合激发共同富裕动能

The key to urban-rural factor integration lies in breaking the pattern of urban-rural division and promoting the free flow and optimal allocation of factors such as land, labor, capital, and technology between urban and rural areas.

城乡要素融合的关键在于打破城乡分割格局，推动土地、劳动力、资本、技术等要素在城乡之间自由流动、最优配置。

Deepen the reform of the rural land system, promote the orderly transfer of rural land management rights, and promote appropriate scale management of agriculture. Guide urban capital, technology and other factors to flow to rural areas, combine with rural land resources, improve land use efficiency, develop new agricultural forms such as ecological agriculture and circular agriculture, increase agricultural added value, and promote farmers' income increase.

深化农村土地制度改革，有序推进农村土地经营权流转，促进农业适度规模经营。引导城市资本、技术等要素向农村流动，结合农村土地资源，提高土地利用效率，发展生态农业、循环农业等新型农业形态，提升农业附加值，促进农民增收。

Talent is the core factor in urban-rural development. We must break down the barriers to talent flow between urban and rural areas and promote two-way flow and rational allocation of talent. On the one hand, encourage outstanding urban talents to serve in the countryside, providing support in education, medical care, science and technology, etc., to raise the level of rural public services. On the other hand, strengthen the training and introduction of rural talents, attract more rural youth to return to their hometowns for entrepreneurship through measures such as providing training and entrepreneurial support, and inject new impetus into rural economic development.

人才是城乡发展的核心要素，要打破城乡人才流动壁垒，促进人才双向流动与合理配置。一方面，鼓励城市优秀人才下乡服务，为农村提供教育、医疗、科技等方面的支持，提升农村公共服务水平。另一方面，加强农村人才培养与引进，通过提供培训、创业扶持等举措，吸引更多农村青年返乡创业，为农村经济发展注入新的动力。

Funds are the lifeblood of urban and rural economic development. We must establish and improve the urban-rural fund flow mechanism, support rural infrastructure construction, agricultural modernization, and rural industrial development. Set up special funds, provide loan discounts, attract social funds to invest in rural areas, and inject new vitality into rural economic development. Encourage rural areas to use their own advantageous resources, through shareholding cooperation, asset securitization, etc., to broaden financing channels and achieve effective accumulation and appreciation of funds.

资金是城乡经济发展的血液，要建立健全城乡资金流动机制，支持农村基础设施建设、农业现代化和乡村产业发展。设立专项基金、提供贷款贴息，吸引社会资金投资农村，为农村经济发展注入新的活力。鼓励农村利用自身优势资源，通过股份合作、资产证券化等方式，拓宽融资渠道，实现资金的有效积累与增值。

Technology and information are the bridges and ties for integrated urban-rural development. Establishing an urban-rural technology and information sharing platform can realize the interconnection and resource sharing of technology and information, strengthen the exchange and dissemination of technology and information, and promote the transfer and diffusion of advanced urban technology to rural areas. Efforts should be made to strengthen information construction in rural areas, raise the level of informatization in rural areas, bridge the information gap between urban and rural areas, and lay a solid information foundation for rural economic and social development.

技术信息是城乡融合发展的桥梁与纽带，建立城乡技术信息共享平台，能够实现技术信息的互联互通与资源共享，加强技术信息的交流和传播，推动城市先进技术向农村转移和扩散。应着力加强农村地区的信息化建设，提高农村地区的信息化水平，弥合城乡间存在的信息鸿沟，为农村经济社会发展奠定坚实的信息基础。

4. Deepen the Background of Common Prosperity through Ecological Integration

4.以生态融合厚植共同富裕底色

Cities have relatively complete environmental protection facilities and technical means, while rural areas have vast ecological spaces and abundant natural resources. The core of urban-rural ecological integration lies in promoting the joint construction and sharing of urban and rural ecology, and promoting the deep integration of ecological resources, environmental policies, and green development concepts between urban and rural areas. Through scientific planning and layout, introducing urban environmental protection technology and management experience into rural areas, while using the natural advantages of rural areas to develop green industries such as ecological agriculture and rural tourism, can not only improve the quality of the rural ecological environment, but also drive the diversified development of the rural economy, opening up new ways for farmers to increase income.

城市拥有较为完善的环保设施和技术手段，乡村则拥有广阔的生态空间和丰富的自然资源。城乡生态融合的核心在于推动城乡生态共建共享，促进生态资源、环境政策、绿色发展理念在城乡之间的深度交融。通过科学的规划布局，将城市的环保技术、管理经验引入乡村，同时利用乡村的自然优势，发展生态农业、乡村旅游等绿色产业，不仅能够提升乡村的生态环境质量，还能带动乡村经济的多元化发展，为农民增收开辟新途径。

Adhere to the concept of green development, take ecological environmental protection as the premise and constraint for urban-rural development. In urban and rural construction, priority should be given to the carrying capacity of the ecological environment, rationally plan industrial layout, avoid overdevelopment and pollution emissions, and achieve a win-win situation for economic development and environmental protection. Strengthen ecological restoration and protection, protect and expand urban ecosystems such as green spaces, wetlands, and parks, improve urban ecological quality; implement integrated protection and systematic management of mountains, waters, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands, and deserts, strengthen the control of non-point source pollution in rural areas, promote ecological agricultural technology, protect rural biodiversity, and create livable and workable beautiful villages.

坚持绿色发展理念，把生态环境保护作为城乡发展的前提和约束条件。在城乡建设中，要优先考虑生态环境的承载能力，合理规划产业布局，避免过度开发和污染排放，实现经济发展与环境保护的双赢。加强生态修复与保护，对绿地、湿地、公园等城市生态系统进行保护与扩建，提升城市生态品质；实施山水林田湖草沙一体化保护和系统治理，加强农村面源污染治理，推广生态农业技术，保护农村生物多样性，打造宜居宜业的美丽乡村。

Popularize ecological and environmental protection knowledge, enhance the ecological and environmental awareness of urban and rural residents. Encourage the public to actively participate in ecological protection and environmental governance, gradually form an environmental governance system with the government as the leading force, enterprises as the main body, and social organizations and the public participating together. Use modern information technology means such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence to establish an urban-rural ecological environment monitoring network, achieve real-time sharing and disclosure of environmental information, enhance the transparency and effectiveness of environmental governance, and let urban and rural residents share the achievements of ecological civilization construction.

普及生态环保知识，提升城乡居民的生态环保意识。鼓励公众积极参与生态保护和环境治理，逐渐形成以政府为主导、企业为主体、社会组织和公众共同参与的环境治理体系。利用大数据、云计算、人工智能等现代信息技术手段，建立城乡生态环境监测网络，实现环境信息的实时共享与公开，增强环境治理的透明度和有效性，让城乡居民共享生态文明建设成果。

Strengthen ecological policy guidance and institutional guarantees. Policy guidance and institutional guarantees are an indispensable part of promoting urban-rural ecological integration. More policy measures should be introduced to support urban-rural ecological integration, such as establishing an ecological compensation mechanism to reward regions and individuals that contribute to ecological protection; improving the green financial system to provide financial support for ecological and environmental protection projects; strengthening environmental legislation to severely crack down on acts that destroy the ecological environment, ensuring ecological and environmental security.

加强生态政策引导和制度保障。政策引导与制度保障是推动城乡生态融合不可或缺的一环，应出台更多支持城乡生态融合的政策措施，如建立生态补偿机制，对生态保护作出贡献的地区和个人给予奖励；完善绿色金融体系，为生态环保项目提供资金支持；加强环境立法，对破坏生态环境的行为进行严厉打击，确保生态环境安全。

5. Form a Joint Force for Common Prosperity through Institutional Integration

5.以制度融合形成共同富裕合力

Urban-rural institutional integration is a key measure in the New Era to promote coordinated urban-rural development and form a joint force for common prosperity. It aims to build a fairer, more inclusive, and sustainable urban-rural development system, provide equal public services for urban and rural residents, and stimulate urban-rural economic vitality.

城乡制度融合是新时代推动城乡协调发展、形成共同富裕合力的关键举措，旨在构建更加公平、包容、可持续的城乡发展体系，为城乡居民提供均等化的公共服务，激发城乡经济活力。

The reform of the household registration system is an important breakthrough to break the urban-rural dual structure [3]3 Urban-rural dual structure: A term in Chinese socio-economic analysis referring to the institutional division between urban and rural areas, sustained by the household registration (hukou) system, which creates unequal access to public services and economic opportunities. and a key move to promote urban-rural population flow and optimal allocation of resources. Therefore, we should continue to deepen the reform of the household registration system, promote the urbanization of the agricultural transfer population, allow eligible farmers who have moved to cities to settle in towns, and enjoy public services and social welfare equal to those of urban residents in education, medical care, employment, social security, etc. Steadily and prudently advance the reform of the rural homestead system, provide farmers with more channels for property income, and stimulate the internal vitality of rural development.

户籍制度改革是破除城乡二元结构的重要突破口，是推进城乡人口流动和资源优化配置的关键之举。因此，要继续深化户籍制度改革，促进农业转移人口市民化，让符合条件的进城农民在城镇落户定居，享受与城市居民同等的教育、医疗、就业、社会保障等方面的公共服务和社会福利。稳慎推进农村宅基地制度改革，为农民提供更多财产性收入渠道，激发农村内部发展活力。

Deepen the reform of the rural land system, promote the orderly transfer of rural land management rights, and develop appropriate scale management. Orderly promote the pilot of extending the second round of land contracts for another 30 years after expiration, [4]4 Second round of land contracts: Under China's rural land system, farmland is contracted to households for a fixed period. The second round, starting in the late 1990s, was set to expire around 2027. A pilot extends this for another 30 years to maintain stability in land use rights. deepen the reform of the separation of ownership, contracting rights, and management rights of contracted land, and develop appropriate scale management of agriculture. In addition, orderly advance the reform of the entry of rural collective operational construction land into the market, explore the construction of a unified urban-rural construction land market, and provide land factor guarantees for rural industrial development.

深化农村土地制度改革，推动农村土地经营权有序流转，发展适度规模经营。有序推进第二轮土地承包到期后再延长三十年试点，深化承包地所有权、承包权、经营权分置改革，发展农业适度规模经营。此外，还要有序推进农村集体经营性建设用地入市改革，探索构建城乡统一的建设用地市场，为乡村产业发展提供土地要素保障。

Increase fiscal support for rural revitalization, optimize the structure of fiscal expenditure, and ensure that public finance tilts more heavily toward agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. Deepen rural financial reform, broaden rural financing channels, innovate financial products and services, and meet the development needs of rural industries. Innovate fiscal and financial policies to provide strong financial support and financial services for integrated urban-rural development.

加大对乡村振兴的财政支持力度，优化财政支出结构，确保公共财政更大力度向“三农”倾斜。深化农村金融改革，拓宽农村融资渠道，创新金融产品和服务，满足乡村产业发展需求。创新财政金融政策，为城乡融合发展提供有力资金支持和金融服务。

Put people first, improve the basic public service system, and accelerate the equalization of basic public services between urban and rural areas. By optimizing the allocation of educational resources, improve the quality of rural education and narrow the urban-rural education gap. Strengthen the construction of the medical and health system, raise the level of rural medical services, and protect farmers' health rights. Promote urban-rural cultural exchange and integration, enrich farmers' cultural and spiritual life, and raise the level of rural social civilization. Improve the urban and rural community governance system, promote the extension of urban community governance and services to rural areas, enhance rural governance capacity and level, and form a social governance pattern of joint construction, joint governance, and shared benefits.

以人为本，完善基本公共服务制度体系，加快推进城乡基本公共服务均等化。通过优化教育资源配置，提高乡村教育质量，缩小城乡教育差距。加强医疗卫生体系建设，提升乡村医疗服务水平，保障农民健康权益。推动城乡文化交流与融合，丰富农民精神文化生活，提升乡村社会文明程度。健全城乡社区治理体系，推动城镇社区治理与服务向农村延伸，提升乡村治理能力和水平，形成共建共治共享的社会治理格局。

(The author: Zheng Huixia, researcher at the Henan Provincial Research Center for the Theoretical System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Professor at the Department of Philosophy Teaching and Research, Party School of the CPC Henan Provincial Committee)

（作者：郑会霞，系河南省中国特色社会主义理论体系研究中心研究员、中共河南省委党校哲学教研部教授）

Internet editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧