China's gov't warns 2009 to be "the toughest" year since 2000

Special Report:Global Financial Crisis

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Hu underscores rural economic

development

BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Chinese media) -- Chinese President Hu

Jintao urged the promotion of stable agricultural and rural economic development

and said issues concerning agriculture, countryside and farmers should continue

to be the top priority of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Hu, also General Secretary of the CPC Central

Committee, made the remarks during a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC

Central Committee on Friday. Attendees at the meeting studied the means to

promote agricultural modernization with Chinese characteristics. Full story

Rural home appliance sales grow under national

subsidy program

BEIJING, Jan. 29

(Chinese media) -- Home appliance sales in China's countryside has been stirred up as

the government offered subsidies to rural buyers of those products to lift

domestic consumption, the People's Daily reported Thursday.

In the first 20 days of January, Chinese farmers bought

more than 160,000 items of home appliances on government subsidies, 90 percent

of the total in December, the newspaper said, citing Ministry of Commerce (MOC)

sources. Full story

China pledges to increase rural

income

BEIJING, Dec. 28

(Chinese media) -- China concluded its annual two-day central rural work conference

Sunday with a pledge to give priority to maintaining steady and relatively fast

rural and agricultural development, ensuring supplies of farm produce and

facilitating income increases for farmers in 2009.

Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu attended the

conference and delivered a speech. Full story

China raises poverty standards, 28 mln

rural residents to benefit



BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Chinese media) -- The Chinese government said Saturday it would

expand coverage of its anti-poverty program in rural areas next year to include

an additional 28.41 million residents.

Fan Xiaojian, director of the Office for Poverty

Alleviation and Development under the State Council, said rural residents with

an annual per capita income of less than 1067 yuan (156 U.S. dollars) would

begin to be covered in the country's poverty-relief program next year.



China aims for steady, relatively fast

rural, agricultural development

BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Chinese media) -- China concluded its

annual two-day central rural work conference Sunday with a pledge to give

priority to maintaining steady and relatively fast rural and agricultural

development, ensuring supplies of farm produce and facilitating income increases

for farmers in 2009.

Chinese Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu attended the

conference and delivered a speech. Full story

China's agriculture insurance income

exceeds 10 bln yuan by Nov.



BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Chinese media) -- China's agriculture insurance income reached 10.54

billion yuan (1.54 billion U.S. dollars) by this November, soaring 112 percent

compared with the same period last year, the country's top insurance regulator

announced here Saturday.

"With what we have achieved in 2008, we will further

develop insurance related to agriculture, farmers and rural areas in 2009," said

Wu Dingfu, chairman of the China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC). Full story

CPC pledges to build modern industrial

system for agriculture

BEIJING,

Oct. 19 (Chinese media) -- The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) plans to build a

market-oriented industrial system for the country's agriculture sector with a

necessary method of technological progress.

In a lengthy document unveiled by the CPC Central

Committee on Sunday, the Party said it would lead infrastructure construction of

the agricultural process, circulation and transport to the places that needed it

most. Full story

Chinese President underscores

breakthroughs in reform, development in rural

areas

ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 10 (Chinese media)

-- Chinese President Hu Jintao stressed three breakthroughs in rural

restructuring, modern agriculture and rural public facilities to push forward

reform and development in the countryside.

Hu made the remarks during a visit to central Henan

Province from Monday to Wednesday, where he met with local officials, farmers

and entrepreneurs. Full story