Chinese President Jiang Zemin recently called on Party committees and governments at all levels to place priority on agricultural development and continue efforts to promote rural reform in accordance with the socialist market economy.

Jiang, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and chairman of the Central Military Commission, issued the call during his fact-finding tour of east China's Anhui Province September 25.

The most difficult task in accomplishing goals set at the 15th Party Congress centers on sustaining stable agricultural and rural economic development, said Jiang, noting that doing a good job in rural areas will help to ensure overall smooth economic and social development.

China reform efforts in rural areas have achieved major breakthrough and notable success which have helped to promote comprehensive urban and economic reform. The reform in rural areas came at a time when over 250 million rural Chinese were suffering from starvation, said Jiang.

Jiang recounted China's experience in rural reform over the past two decades, and noted that a new framework based on the socialist market economy has basically come into being in rural areas. The reform has been characterized by the household contract responsibility system which has helped end the highly centralized commune system and led to the introduction of an economy based on multiple ownership systems.

Improved agricultural production has ended the long history of shortages of farm products and has basically solved food problems for 1.2 billion Chinese people, according to Jiang. He noted that mushrooming village and township enterprises have also helped to relieve the pressure of 130 million redundant rural laborers and have at the same time greatly improved the living standards of farmers.

Jiang pointed out that the success of China's rural reform represents a great victory for Deng Xiaoping Theory. He said that the course of rural reform readily demonstrates that Deng Xiaoping Theory is the sole means for freeing the country from the constraints of old concepts and a rigid system, and will greatly enhance efforts to build socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Jiang emphasized that the absence of Deng Xiaoping Theory would have prevented China from developing a complete set of basic policies on the Party's rural work, and would sidetracked today's notable achievements.

He said the enthusiasm of farmers is the primary consideration in formulating rural policies, and added that steps must be introduced to ensure the economic interests and democratic rights of farmers. It is necessary to respect the creativity of farmers as they exhibited in creating the household contract responsibility system, said Jiang.

Governments at all levels must audaciously explore effective ways of realizing public ownership in rural areas and improve the structure of the rural ownership system. They must also adhere to market-oriented rural reform, said Jiang, noting that this represents the basic experience of rural reform and must therefore be firmly pursued.

Jiang affirmed that the existing basic economic system and management mechanisms based on the household contract and land contract systems in rural areas have proven effective and must be maintained. He stressed that market orientation is the key to rural reform, and reaffirmed that China will not introduce land privatization

The central government has adopted a clearly defined land contract policy which will prolong contract periods for another 30 years, said Jiang, adding that the policy will remain unchanged.

The general goal of future rural economic reform will center on an economic system based on the household contract responsibility system supported by agricultural socialization services, the marketing system for farm produce, the protection system for agriculture and government funding.

The reform of the economic and political systems should be carried out simultaneously, said Jiang, noting that strengthening grass roots level democracy in rural areas and guaranteeing the democratic rights of farmers are the primary aspects of socialist democracy in the countryside.

The government must promote the direct election of village committees, and democratic decision-making, management and supervision, said Jiang. He stressed that the expansion of democracy in rural areas must adhere to the leadership of the Party and must be carried out in accordance with the law.

Jiang addressed the issue of long-term agricultural development and cited water conservancy and science and technology as two most important areas. He urged local governments to prioritize the development of rural infrastructure such as water conservancy and flood control facilities, as well as afforestation and environmental protection.

He said measures must be introduced to ensure adherence to the guidelines of using science and technology to invigorate agriculture in order to ensure continuing progress and growth. Jiang said that more attention should be placed on raising the income levels of farmers.

China's success in rural areas maily relies on two factors -- seeking truth from facts and the mass line. The two factors represent fundamental experience gained under the guidance of Deng Xiaoping Theory in rural reform over the past two decades and constitute the principle for promoting rural reform in the future, according to Jiang.

New circumstances and problems continue to arise in the realm of rural reform and development, said Jiang, adding that officials at all levels should go deep into the realities of reform to learn from the people, rely on the inventiveness and creativity of farmers and learn to operate under the conditions of the market economy.

Jiang called on all officials to gain a better awareness of both China and worldwide economic development. He said great importance should be attached to ongoing economic globalization and a knowledge-based economy in order to blaze a new trail for the nation's agricultural and rural development.