Central Rural Work Conference held in Beijing
On Tuesday and Wednesday, leading rural policy officials and advisors gathered to set the course of agricultural and rural development policy in 2025 at the annual Central Rural Work Conference (CRWC).
The headline: Policymakers spotlighted the rural economy’s role in stabilizing employment and undergirding broader stability, security, and growth.
Xi Jinping admonished cadres and officials to make rural issues their top priority in written instructions to the conference, reminding them that (Xinhua):
- “Record-breaking grain production and rising rural incomes…provide foundational support for high-quality economic and social development.”
The People’s Daily echoed this sentiment in its CRWC explainer:
- “Our work on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers serves as a 'ballast stone' in reassuring the people and ensuring overall stability.”
What caught our eye was a Farmer’s Daily editorial under a central Party alias:
- The editorial referenced Sun Tzu’s Art of War, framing rural development and bolstering farming as preparation for conflict.
- It also quoted a 2022 call from Xi to “respond to uncertainty in the external environment with the certainty of stable domestic production and supply.”
Get smart: Delivering on this year’s rural policy priorities will be central to Beijing’s broader economic goals – like boosting employment, raising wages for low and middle income folks, and freeing them up to consume.
- Hitting rural policy targets will also help face down the risk of conflict – trade or otherwise – with the US.
Go deeper: In the coming days, we’ll unpack more details from the CRWC readout and what we expect to feature in the Party’s 2025 No. 1 Document – the Party’s annual to-do list for agriculture and rural policy.
- Stay tuned!