Modernizing farming and vitalizing rural areas are key, president says

President Xi Jinping underlined the significant role of agricultural colleges in promoting the development of farming, rural areas and the lives of farmers, and urged the learning institutions to make greater contributions to rural vitalization.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remark when replying to a letter from Party secretaries, presidents and experts of over 50 agricultural colleges on Thursday.

In the letter made public on Friday, Xi praised the positive contributions that agricultural colleges have made to the development of the sector and farmers since the People's Republic of China was founded 70 years ago, saying the schools have cultivated outstanding talent and enhanced scientific research and innovation.

China cannot become modernized without modernizing its agricultural sector and rejuvenating its rural areas, and science and technology as well as talent development are keys, Xi said.

He described rural areas as being full of potential and a vast stage for entrepreneurship in the new era, and said the nation's higher education in agriculture and forestry has great potential for development.

Xi expressed hope that agricultural colleges will continue to help boost agricultural productivity and come up with more scientific and technological innovations.

He also urged the colleges to strengthen moral education and cultivate more agricultural talent to help the nation enjoy food security, improve people's living standards in rural areas, enhance ecological conservation of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes and grasslands and contribute more to poverty reduction and rural vitalization.

In a recent letter to Xi, more than 100 Party secretaries, presidents as well as agricultural and forestry experts from over 50 agricultural colleges briefed their discussion on agricultural education.

Xi has attached great importance to work related to agriculture, rural areas and those living in the countryside. In the work report delivered at the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, he called such issues "fundamental to China as they directly concern the country's stability and our people's well-being".

"Addressing these issues should have a central place on the work agenda of the Party, and we must prioritize the development of agriculture and rural areas," he said.

China aims to eradicate absolute poverty in rural areas by the end of 2020, and it is striving to implement a rural vitalization strategy to allow the areas to have thriving businesses, pleasant living environments, effective governance and prosperity.