Blueprint to strengthen development ballast

For China, a large agricultural country with a rural population of around 550 million, work concerning agriculture, rural areas and farmers has always been a top priority for the government.

Thus it is no surprise that the "No 1 central document"－the first policy statement released by the central leadership each year－focused on the issue for the 18th year running.

Yet what makes this year's document, released on Sunday, even more significant than usual is that it presents a comprehensive blueprint for the vitalization of rural areas and the accelerated modernization of agriculture not only for this year but throughout the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period.