Officials and experts explore strategies for advancing China's rural ecological development

Officials and experts gathered at a symposium in Nanping, Fujian province, on Thursday to explore how Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization can further drive the beautiful countryside initiative. Li Gao, vice-minister of ecology and environment, and Wang Jinfu, vice-governor of Fujian province, attended the symposium. The event also brought together representatives from central government departments, United Nations agencies, research institutions, pilot areas of beautiful countryside, and media organizations.

A think tank report detailing the progress, achievements, and practical experiences of its beautiful countryside initiative was officially unveiled at the symposium. The report, titled "Progress and Achievements in Building a Beautiful Countryside in China", was jointly compiled by the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, China Daily, and China Environment News.

Hu Jun, director of the research center, said China's beautiful countryside development can be traced back to the Green Rural Revival Program, which was planned by President Xi in 2003 when he was Party secretary of Zhejiang province. The program aimed to improve rural production, living, and ecological conditions by comprehensively upgrading about 10,000 villages over five years and turning around 1,000 villages into examples of moderate prosperity in all respects.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, Xi has repeatedly stressed the importance of building beautiful and livable villages, calling for rural areas to become a defining feature of a modernized country and a foundation for Beautiful China, Hu said. Hu highlighted a 2025 action plan for beautiful countryside development as an important step in advancing the initiative. Issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and eight other national government bodies, the plan launched a county-wide campaign to promote beautiful countryside development, he said.

"At its heart, the plan seeks to shift the focus from merely addressing rural environmental issues to building a beautiful countryside in a holistic manner," Hu said.

According to the report, China has made marked progress in improving the rural ecological environment and promoting green, low-carbon agricultural development. By 2025, the national rural domestic sewage treatment rate had reached 55 percent, more than double the level at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period, it said.

More than 5,000 large black and odorous rural water bodies on people's doorsteps had been basically eliminated, with the treatment rate exceeding 98 percent.