The Chinese government yesterday formally ratified its decisions about boosting the country’s rural economy. Although the official communiqués about the decisions were rather short on specifics, the new policies seem to include allowing peasants to sell or rent the rights to their property.
The China Daily put it like this:
The nation has set a goal of doubling per capita disposable income of rural residents by 2020 from the 2008 level, top decision-makers announced in Beijing Sunday…
…It will set up a “strict and normative” land management system in the countryside, expand policy support for agriculture, establish a modern rural financial network and a system to balance development between rural and urban areas, and improve rural democracy.
The New York Times article linked below is a good overview of the issues at stake.
- China Daily: Chinese farmers’ income to be doubled
- Xinhua: CPC closes major meeting with decision on rural reform, development
- Xinhua (Chinese): A new start for rural reform and development: Policy signals from the third Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee
- New York Times: China may let peasants sell rights to farmland