Improving the Institutions and Mechanisms for Integrated Urban-Rural Development: Forming a New Pattern of Integrated Urban-Rural Development

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “In the process of modernization, how to handle the relationship between industry and agriculture, and between urban and rural areas, determines to a certain extent the success or failure of modernization.” The “Decision” of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stated that “integrated urban-rural development is an inevitable requirement of Chinese-path modernization” and made strategic arrangements for improving the institutions and mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development. On the new journey, we must deeply understand the great significance and rich connotations of integrated urban-rural development, promptly improve the institutions and mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development, strive to narrow the urban-rural gap, form a new pattern of integrated urban-rural development, and promote common prosperity and development in both urban and rural areas.

习近平总书记指出：“在现代化进程中，如何处理好工农关系、城乡关系，在一定程度上决定着现代化的成败。”党的二十届三中全会《决定》提出“城乡融合发展是中国式现代化的必然要求”，并对完善城乡融合发展体制机制作出战略部署。新征程上，我们要深刻认识城乡融合发展的重大意义和丰富内涵，抓紧完善城乡融合发展体制机制，努力缩小城乡差别，形成城乡融合发展新格局，促进城乡共同繁荣发展。

The urban-rural relationship is a fundamental relationship in economic and social development. China has a vast territory, and the problem of unbalanced urban-rural development has always been relatively prominent. Marx pointed out: “Once the face of the urban-rural relationship changes, the face of the entire society also changes accordingly.” After the founding of New China, our Party’s understanding of the urban-rural relationship has deepened continuously with the development of practice. Since the New Era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to integrated urban-rural development. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized “reshaping the urban-rural relationship and taking the path of integrated urban-rural development,” and called for “establishing and improving the institutions, mechanisms, and policy systems for integrated urban-rural development,” “promoting urbanization construction with counties as important carriers, promoting integrated urban-rural development, strengthening urban-rural economic ties, and smoothing urban-rural economic circulation,” and so on. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions have further deepened our Party’s understanding of the urban-rural relationship and provided fundamental guidance for promoting integrated urban-rural development. Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, we have adhered to making solving the “three rural” issues [1]1 “Three rural” issues (三农问题) refers to the problems concerning agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, a standard policy term in China. the top priority of the entire Party’s work, comprehensively won the battle against poverty, launched and implemented the rural revitalization strategy, and promoted historic achievements and historic changes in agricultural and rural development. The urban-rural resident income ratio has dropped from 2.81:1 in 2013 to 2.39:1 in 2023. Rural people’s livelihoods have significantly improved, integrated urban-rural development has achieved positive results, and the urban-rural landscape has undergone tremendous changes.

城乡关系是经济社会发展中的一项基本关系。我国地域广阔，城乡发展不平衡问题一直比较突出。马克思指出：“城乡关系的面貌一改变，整个社会的面貌也跟着改变。”新中国成立后，我们党对城乡关系的认识随着实践发展而不断深化。新时代以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央高度重视城乡融合。习近平总书记强调“重塑城乡关系，走城乡融合发展之路”，要求“建立健全城乡融合发展体制机制和政策体系”“推进以县城为重要载体的城镇化建设，推动城乡融合发展，增强城乡经济联系，畅通城乡经济循环”，等等。习近平总书记的重要论述进一步深化了我们党对城乡关系的认识，为促进城乡融合发展提供了根本遵循。在以习近平同志为核心的党中央坚强领导下，我们坚持把解决好“三农”问题作为全党工作的重中之重，全面打赢脱贫攻坚战，启动实施乡村振兴战略，推动农业农村发展取得历史性成就、发生历史性变革，城乡居民收入比已由2013年的2.81∶1下降到2023年的2.39∶1，农村民生显著改善，城乡融合发展取得积极成效，城乡面貌发生巨大变化。

At the same time, we must clearly recognize that China’s agricultural foundation is not yet solid, the gap in urban-rural regional development and resident income is still relatively large, and unbalanced urban-rural development and insufficient rural development remain a concentrated manifestation of the principal contradiction in society. The current and future period is a critical period for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. Improving the institutions and mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development is an inevitable choice for making up for the shortcomings of agriculture and rural areas and building a strong agricultural country. It can promote the flow of various factors more toward rural areas, so that agriculture and rural areas do not fall behind in the process of modernization and gradually catch up; it is an urgent need to expand the space for modernization development and promote high-quality development, which will release China’s super-large-scale market demand and provide strong impetus for building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development; it is an inherent requirement to meet the people’s aspirations for a better life and promote common prosperity, which will liberate and develop rural social productive forces, expand channels for farmers to increase income and become prosperous, promote equal access to basic public services in urban and rural areas, enable rural areas to gradually have modern living conditions, and allow farmers to live a more prosperous and better life.

同时要清醒认识到，我国农业基础还不稳固，城乡区域发展和居民收入差距仍然较大，城乡发展不平衡、农村发展不充分仍是社会主要矛盾的集中体现。当前和今后一个时期是以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业的关键时期。完善城乡融合发展体制机制，是补上农业农村短板、建设农业强国的必然选择，能够促进各类要素更多向乡村流动，让农业农村在现代化进程中不掉队、逐步赶上来；是拓展现代化发展空间、推动高质量发展的迫切需要，将释放我国超大规模市场需求，为构建新发展格局、推动高质量发展提供强劲动力；是满足人民对美好生活的向往、促进共同富裕的内在要求，将解放和发展农村社会生产力，拓展农民增收致富渠道，推动城乡基本公共服务均等化，让农村逐步具备现代化生活条件，让农民过上更加富裕美好的生活。

To thoroughly study and implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, improve the institutions and mechanisms for integrated urban-rural development, and promote common prosperity and development in both urban and rural areas, it is necessary to follow objective laws, grasp major principles, focus on key points, gather strength, and adopt more pragmatic measures to effectively advance reform, promote equal exchange and two-way flow of urban-rural factors, narrow the urban-rural gap, and accelerate the formation of a new type of industry-agriculture mutual promotion, urban-rural complementarity, coordinated development, and common prosperity in the industry-agriculture and urban-rural relationship. To this end, it is necessary to promote the integrated allocation of public services in urban and rural areas at the county level, improve the level of municipal public facility construction and basic public service functions in county towns, and enhance the completeness of rural infrastructure, the convenience of public services, and the comfort of the living environment. Implement a system of providing basic public services based on household registration at the place of habitual residence, promote eligible agricultural transfer populations to enjoy equal rights with the registered population of the place of immigration in terms of social insurance, housing security, and compulsory education for accompanying children, and accelerate the urbanization of the agricultural transfer population. Adhere to taking the county area as an important entry point, strengthen county industries that enrich the people, build a diversified food supply system, and cultivate new rural industries and new business forms. Promote the flow of various factors more toward rural areas, forming a virtuous cycle of talent, land, capital, industry, and information gathering in rural areas.

深入学习贯彻党的二十届三中全会精神，完善城乡融合发展体制机制，促进城乡共同繁荣发展，需要遵循客观规律，把握重大原则，聚焦重点、聚合力量，采取更加务实的措施有效推进改革，促进城乡要素平等交换、双向流动，缩小城乡差别，加快形成工农互促、城乡互补、协调发展、共同繁荣的新型工农城乡关系。为此，要推进县域城乡公共服务一体配置，提升县城市政公用设施建设水平和基本公共服务功能，提高乡村基础设施完备度、公共服务便利度、人居环境舒适度。推行由常住地登记户口提供基本公共服务制度，推动符合条件的农业转移人口社会保险、住房保障、随迁子女义务教育等享有同迁入地户籍人口同等权利，加快农业转移人口市民化。坚持把县域作为重要切入点，壮大县域富民产业，构建多元化食物供给体系，培育乡村新产业新业态。促进各类要素更多向乡村流动，在乡村形成人才、土地、资金、产业、信息汇聚的良性循环。

(Author: Shangguan Zijian, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Science Press)

(作者：上官子健，科学出版社副总编辑)

Online Editor: You Heng

网络编辑：有恒