No 1 document gives rural strategy flesh on the bones

The fact that this is the 15th year in a row that the No 1 central document, an indicator of policy priority, has been devoted to agriculture, farmers and rural areas indicates how challenging rural issues are and how important they are for the country's food security, stability and people's well-being. While there has been marked rural and agricultural development over the years, some pressing issues have now become prominent, including the issue of the "left-behind" elderly and children and weak grassroots governance, which has led to environmental problems, among other things.

In order to tackle such issues, in this year's No 1 document released on Sunday, the central government has set out a package of policies aimed at setting in motion the revitalization strategy for rural areas.

This strategy was first outlined at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in October by top leader Xi Jinping. It aims to address the intractable issues relating to agriculture, rural areas and rural people by establishing a thriving rural economy, a pleasant rural living environment and effective rural governance.