Sowing seeds of innovation

In order to succeed in its rural reform, the Chinese government must not only continue increasing investment there but also approach spending with an ever-stronger spirit of innovation.

According to government figures, Chinese farmers' per capita net income rose 9.5 percent in real terms last year. Arguably, the greatest contributor to the most rapid income increase of the past decade was greater government investment - an 80 billion yuan ($11.2 billion) increase over 2006 to a total of 420 billion yuan.

According to the New Year working report of Chen Xiwen, director of the office of the central leading group on rural work, the central government will add a record 100 billion yuan to its rural investment this year, taking the total to 520 billion yuan.

However, the figures alone tell only part of the story; it's how the money is spent that actualizes improvement of the lives of rural Chinese. And the National People's Congress is to allocate that money by the end of the ongoing session.