Source: Economic Information Daily
Economic development in underdeveloped areas needs policy inclination.
Editor: "165438+1On October 26th, the Research Center for Underdeveloped Economy of China Academy of Social Sciences held a seminar on county economic development in China. Experts and scholars from relevant state departments and representatives of some county-level units in the central and western regions discussed the economic development of underdeveloped areas. Delegates believe that the county economy in underdeveloped areas is the focus of underdeveloped areas, western regions, agriculture, rural areas and farmers, and bears the heavy responsibility of coordinated development. The economic development of underdeveloped areas needs policy inclination. A special issue of this newspaper publishes summaries of speeches made by experts attending the meeting, hoping to contribute to the road of balanced and coordinated development of China's economy from the widening gap between urban and rural areas.
Deputy Director of the Central Policy Research Office of Zheng Xinli
Take the healthy road of coordinated development between urban and rural areas
The 11th Five-Year Plan proposal adopted by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee just concluded puts forward the requirement of building a new socialist countryside. To build a new socialist countryside, not only the income of the people in developed areas has increased, but also the underdeveloped areas in the central and western regions should promote the construction of a new socialist countryside according to their own conditions.
First, building a new socialist countryside is of great and far-reaching significance for promoting the coordinated development of China's economy and society. In recent 10 years, the gap between urban and rural development and the income of urban and rural residents has become increasingly large. The income gap between urban and rural residents is likely to reach 1 to 3.3 this year. If no measures are taken to curb the widening of the urban-rural income gap, it is predicted that the urban-rural income gap may reach 1 to 4.0 by 2020. It is very difficult for our underdeveloped areas to achieve the goal of building a well-off society in an all-round way. The central government's proposal to build a new socialist countryside is an important measure to curb the widening gap between urban and rural areas and implement the strategy of building a well-off society in an all-round way. In the recent economic upswing, exports have grown rapidly, and industrial investment in raw materials such as steel, cement and electrolytic aluminum has grown rapidly. However, domestic demand, especially consumer demand, is insufficient, and overcapacity began to appear in the second half of this year. How to expand domestic demand, especially consumer demand, and digest these excess capacity? Building a new socialist countryside, raising the income level of 700-800 million rural population and expanding rural infrastructure construction are important ways to expand consumer demand and digest industrial excess capacity. The gap between China's regional development and urban-rural development is growing, and the gap between urban and rural people enjoying the fruits of development is growing. At present, the goods purchased by an average of 5 or 6 people in rural areas are equivalent to those purchased by one person in the city. If this situation persists for a long time, it will violate our purpose of representing the interests of the majority. Therefore, building a new socialist countryside is an important strategic decision put forward by our party in the new century and new stage. At the economic work conference that will make specific arrangements for next year, the central government should translate the determination proposed by the Fifth Plenary Session into concrete actions, increase support for rural development in all aspects, and accelerate rural development.
Secondly, I would like to make some suggestions on how to develop county economy in underdeveloped areas. First, vigorously develop industries with advantages and characteristics. The natural conditions in our underdeveloped areas are not so good, and we can also find characteristic economies and advantageous industries suitable for local conditions. Last year, I went to Dingxi, Gansu to see them. Through national poverty alleviation, they developed two specialties, one is potato and the other is lily. They are drought-tolerant, suitable for northwest China and have achieved results. Lily is airlifted to Shanghai every day. Shaanxi is now the largest apple production base in China and even the world. The income of an acre of apples can reach six or seven thousand yuan. There are four potentials to increase Apple's revenue. Management, processing, export and storage, relying on apples alone can help local people get rid of poverty and become rich and well-off. The second is to improve the investment environment and undertake industrial transfer in coastal areas. At present, there is no water, electricity and land in some coastal areas, labor costs are rising, and industries are shifting outward, which is a good opportunity for underdeveloped areas in the central and western regions to attract funds. For example, the strategic slogan put forward by Jiangxi Province is to build Jiangxi into an industrial transfer base in the Pearl River Delta and improve the investment environment. Last year, the investment in coastal areas exceeded 1000 billion.
Third, strengthen the construction of rural infrastructure and public services. For a long time, urban population can enjoy infrastructure construction and public services, roads, water supply, power supply, schools, nurseries and so on, but rural population can't. Most of the rural infrastructure depends on farmers themselves. This is very unfair. In the future, we will gradually increase the construction of rural infrastructure and public services. According to our finance minister, the sunshine of finance should shine on the countryside. This is a good opportunity for counties in our underdeveloped areas. Even economically backward places can improve their infrastructure according to their own conditions, such as roads, drinking water, clean energy and environmental sanitation. The penetration rate of tap water in rural areas in China is only 4 1%. Tap water is very important for improving farmers' lives. I saw a village with 100 households using variable frequency pumps in rural Jiangxi. For each household in 50 yuan, a tap water of * * * 5,000 yuan was solved. It would be better for the government to give a little subsidy.
Fourth, build a new countryside and realize the synchronous development of urban and rural economy. When we participated in drafting the 11th Five-Year Plan, I went to Korea to inspect the construction of new countryside. It changed some of my past understandings. I used to think that in the process of industrialization and urbanization, the gap between urban and rural development and the widening income gap between urban and rural residents is an inevitable stage. South Korea does not have this stage. South Korea's urban and rural economies are developing simultaneously. In the past 40 years, the income gap between urban and rural residents has developed rapidly from 1 to 0.8 to 0.9. We should learn from foreign good experience, attach importance to the positive role of new rural construction, change the backward appearance of rural areas, and take a healthy road of coordinated development between urban and rural areas.
Gu Yuanzhang, Party Secretary of Kangxian County, Gansu Province
The transformation of resource advantages in poor counties needs policy support.
The author puts forward some policy suggestions on how to accelerate the development of county economy in underdeveloped areas. First, I hope that the state's special funds for supporting poor counties will be directly issued. The country spent a lot of money on poor counties in the west. For Gansu, the state has spent hundreds of millions a year, but it is still a drop in the bucket to distribute it to poor counties. Second, it is hoped that the state will increase its assistance to poor counties and adopt the model of "more assistance and one assistance" to give concrete help to key poor counties, especially in solving infrastructure construction such as transportation and energy, and helping underdeveloped counties and cities to develop. Third, in order to attract talents and capital from underdeveloped areas in the west, we hope that the state will be more favorable in the policy of refund ratio of value-added tax and income tax, so that eastern enterprises can invest in these places. Fourth, help solve the problem of building leading enterprises in poor counties.
Our walnut planting area in Kangxian County is the second in the country, but now there is no talent, no technology and no introduction. In recent years, we have tried many ways to introduce talents, but we can't attract them. The only thing that attracts us is to make the boss cry and then invest in us. After investing in the factory, I have to go to Chengdu to buy a screw when the equipment is broken. Under such conditions, how can we run a business? So far, there are no leading deep processing enterprises in Kangxian. In recent years, our poverty-stricken counties have been unsatisfactory in attracting investment. We should speed up characteristic industries. When the central government formulates the assistance policy in the next step, can it give more subsidy funds to poor counties, relax land and credit for leading enterprises, and help poor counties in the west to transform their resource advantages into economic advantages and market advantages as soon as possible?
Zhao Ai, Head of Economic and Social Group of the State Council Western Development Office
Increase transfer payments and narrow the gap between the east and the west
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee pointed out that the difficulty of building a well-off society in an all-round way lies in the countryside and in the west. The gap between the eastern and western regions is highlighted in the economic development of rural areas and counties. One of the main reasons for the slow development of the western region is that the mind is not liberated enough and the concept is conservative. In many places, local residents are only allowed to drink local wine and smoke local cigarettes.
We should improve the mutual assistance mechanism. Let enterprises in the eastern region go west, invest in counties in the western region, develop resources and transfer industries to the western region for development. Not long ago, our department made a survey. According to incomplete statistics, in the six years since the development of the western region, the total amount of counterpart aid funds in eight eastern provinces and cities has been equivalent to RMB 7.7 billion, while the total investment in the western region from the eastern region has been RMB 600 billion.
It is necessary to improve the guarantee mechanism and accelerate the equalization of public services. According to the principle of equalization of public services put forward by the Fifth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee, we will increase the transfer payment from the central government, and gradually narrow the gap between people in underdeveloped areas and people in eastern areas in enjoying public services.
Attention should be paid to ecological protection in western development. The ecological fragility of the western region is a headache in the development of county economy. Without economic development, fiscal revenue and people's employment income will not be solved. If we want to develop, we will destroy the ecology as soon as we break ground. How to solve this contradiction? The first thing is to protect the ecology and not break ground. Many places are either developing or developing. However, the people's life should be improved and the gap with the developed eastern regions should be continuously narrowed. The state has the obligation and responsibility to let people in different regions and counties enjoy roughly the same public services, and the central government should increase the transfer payment.
Chen Heng, county magistrate of Tanchang County, Gansu Province.
Establishing direct support mechanism to promote the development of poverty-stricken areas
I would like to make a suggestion on how to speed up the development of county economy in poverty-stricken areas in the west, and ask the central government to establish a direct support mechanism for the development of county economy in poverty-stricken areas. Because indirect support is always greatly discounted.
As the poorest county in China, Tanchang County has spent a lot of money in these 20 years, but so far we have not got rid of poverty. In addition to poor basic conditions, the project funds supported by the central government are an indirect channel. Central projects are divided into three levels, from ministries, provinces, cities to counties, and each level must be discounted. The support of the central project has been a spent force at our grassroots level and has been greatly reduced. The problem is particularly serious. The procedures for establishing a project are complicated, and the funds are tied up. What you want to do is not allowed to be done, and what you can do is not allowed to be done. They often "edge the ball" and "walk a tightrope" between the superior assessment and the actual demand, thus damaging the effectiveness of poverty alleviation and development.
My outstanding feeling in attending this meeting today is that the relevant ministries and commissions of the central government and the research departments of the Research Center for Underdeveloped Economy of China Academy of Social Sciences have made great changes in their thinking on how to promote the development of county economy compared with previous practices. In the past, we considered how to support and expand the county economy. Now it's how to support the weak. This idea is very good, and it has grasped the crux and difficulty of the development of county economy in China. So far, weak and poor counties have not even reached the threshold of development. Without a strong push, they can only be left far away from the express train of China's economy.
Yin, deputy director of the central financial and economic office.
County economy calls for preferential fiscal and taxation policies
In the new stage of coordinating urban and rural development, county economy is an important fulcrum and carrier to implement industry to feed agriculture and cities to support rural areas, and small towns are the focus of county economic development. The economic development of small towns has promoted rural commercial circulation, pre-natal, mid-natal and post-natal services and life services, which can promote the all-round development of rural economy. County economy is the main channel to absorb the transfer of rural surplus labor force and an important way to increase farmers' income. The income of migrant workers has increasingly become the main source of farmers' income. The county economy has developed, the development of rural non-agricultural industries has accelerated, and employment opportunities have increased.
The state should increase tax policy support for county economic development. Whether we can consider giving preferential tax policies to newly-established enterprises in the county is conducive to attracting funds from large and medium-sized cities to flow to the county economy and alleviating the initial development difficulties of enterprises. At present, the policy of county enterprises is the same as that of large and medium-sized cities, but the burden of county enterprises is heavier. County economy shoulders the heavy responsibility of facing and serving agriculture, countryside and farmers. It is necessary to consider the difficulties of county economy, give county economy some preferential fiscal and taxation policies different from those of large and medium-sized cities, and increase financial support.
Chen Xing, Secretary of the County Party Committee of zhecheng county, Henan.
The Policy Choice of Developing County Economy in China
I want to talk about the country's policy choice for developing county economy. I feel that when analyzing the factors that affect the development of county economy in underdeveloped areas, we often blame ideological emancipation too much and ignore policy issues. Differences in policy choices will have a great impact on the widening regional gap. The state's policies towards the central and western regions and the eastern regions are different. Our per capita land in Zhecheng County is less than one mu, and there is no way out only by agricultural planting. I think the most important thing for the country to help the central region realize industrialization is policy. First, the central region hopes to get the support of land policy. The second is the financial support policy. When the developed coastal areas began to develop, the State Bank gave strong support. At present, many enterprises in the central and western regions have just started, and their credit ratings are low, so it is difficult to get loans. The development of small and medium enterprises has become a problem. Third, infrastructure construction and public goods should be tilted towards underdeveloped areas. Fourth, the employment training and labor export policies need more input and support from the state.
Zhao, Deputy Director of Policy Research Center of Ministry of Agriculture
The development of county economy faces good opportunities.
At present, the development of county economy faces good opportunities. Policy conditions and public opinion environment are more favorable. All parties pay more attention to the development of county economy. After more than 20 years of priority development, the industrialization level of the eastern region far exceeds that of the central and western regions. For example, in the total GDP of the country, in the total balance of savings deposits of urban and rural residents, in the total fiscal revenue and expenditure of local governments at all levels, and in the total foreign investment, the eastern region accounts for more than 60% to 80% except fiscal expenditure. Now there is a phenomenon of economic transformation in the eastern region, which brings opportunities to the county economic development in the central and western regions. The shortage of migrant workers in the eastern region is an example. In the first 20 years, the eastern region developed rapidly with low-wage labor. Now that the income level has increased, it is very difficult to maintain reproduction with the original simple low-wage method. The economy of the eastern region must be transformed, and the traditional advantageous industries must spread to the surrounding areas. The county economy in the central and western regions can find quite a few opportunities.
The process of rural labor transfer can be accelerated. After 2002, the state introduced some new policies to promote labor transfer. There is no obstacle to the flow of rural labor force on the macro level. Since last year, the state has started to implement the sunshine training project, and the cost per farmer is 100 yuan. However, according to the actual survey, the cost for farmers to master a technology after training is about 800 to 1200 yuan, and the national financial input is insufficient, so there is still a big gap. Farmers are unwilling to let him pay for training until they find a job. Investment in labor force is called human capital investment, which is an investment with very high return on investment. All localities can combine their own reality and think of some ways to promote it. If we do this work well, it will be very beneficial to the economic development of our county.
Zhao Yi, executive deputy magistrate of Xixia County, Henan Province
The key to the development of county economy is the issue of agriculture, countryside and farmers.
Whether the county economy can develop well depends on whether the three rural issues can be solved well. In rural development, I personally think there are three factors that make the gap bigger and bigger. First, unfair decision-making attaches importance to cities and ignores rural areas, which leads to the widening gap between urban and rural areas in education, medical care and social security. Second, the support mechanism is out of shape. Rural economic development needs capital investment, but rural savings flow to large and medium-sized cities through various channels. After the national commercial banks were restructured, they all withdrew from the countryside. Only county deposits are allowed, not loans. The loan authority has risen to the provincial level. It restricts rural financial development and economic development. Third, there are restrictions on the transfer of farmers. Now the threshold for farmers to enter cities has been lowered, but in practice, the rights and interests of migrant workers can not be fully guaranteed. Migrant workers have security in one place, but the security cannot be transferred after moving to another place, which also affects farmers' transfer and income increase.
How to solve the problems of agriculture, countryside and farmers, firstly, the formulation and implementation of agricultural policies and industrial policies should be symmetrical, secondly, supporting policies should be specific, financial institutions should support agriculture, countryside and farmers, and the balance and growth rate of loans and savings should be symmetrical. Third, pay attention to the vocational training and rights protection of migrant workers. Fourth, whether the fiscal revenue of poor counties and underdeveloped counties can be left by counties to support agriculture, countryside and farmers.
Hu Lin is a researcher at the Underdeveloped Research Center of China Academy of Social Sciences and an assistant to the county magistrate of Tongnan County, Chongqing.
The key to the transformation from agricultural society to industrial society lies in county-level finance.
Over the past 20 years of reform and opening up, the eastern coastal areas have flourished, while the more extensive underdeveloped areas in the central and western regions have been ignored. Although this practice of robbing the poor to help the rich can encourage some people and regions to get rich first, it is extremely unfavorable for * * * to get rich and * * * to develop together. I have seen at the grassroots level that transfer payments are distributed from top to bottom, and the greater the disposable income of the higher-level government, the smaller the income of the lower-level government. After layers of stripping and interception, it is conceivable how much is left for grassroots counties and towns. Such a distribution system and pattern are extremely unfavorable to county and township finance. After the agricultural tax exemption, the social affairs undertaken by the township government did not decrease correspondingly, but the transfer payment did not increase. How can this situation maintain normal operation? Solving the old accounts accumulated in history is a very arduous task for rural reform! In fact, 1/3 of township debt was caused by the ninth five-year plan education, and 1/3 was caused by cleaning up rural credit cooperatives, which has now been passed on to county and township governments. The burden is not light, and this family is difficult to deal with.
Now there has been a very favorable turning point, and the central government has realized the importance of developing the western region, underdeveloped areas and rural economy. We can speak freely here today, which gives us the right to speak and emphasizes the great importance of county economy. Since 1984, the county economy has been ignored or even cancelled. Now the county economy is valued. When the county-level finance is solved, it is equivalent to solving the most critical problem in the process of the transformation of the whole society from an agricultural society to an industrial society.
Dr. Yang Yinkai, Regional Division of National Development and Reform Commission
"Happiness" and "Worry" of County Economic Development
The present situation of county economy development in China is mixed. What is "happy" is that the county economy occupies a fairly high share in the national economic development. County area accounts for 95% of the country's land area, population accounts for 3/4 of the country's total population, GDP accounts for 60% of the country's total retail sales, local fiscal revenue accounts for 1/4 of the country's total retail sales, and investment and actual utilization of foreign capital account for about 1/3 of the country. The economy of some developed counties has developed rapidly, and the total economic output of the top 100 counties has accounted for more than 1/4 of the national total economic output, which is more than four times the national average. According to the exchange rate, the per capita GDP of the top ten and some top 100 counties has exceeded 3,000 US dollars, which is close to the level of middle-income countries. "Worry" is the * * * suffering problem faced by the secretary and county magistrate present here. The development of county economy in China is seriously unbalanced. Developed counties are distributed in the eastern region, while backward counties are mainly distributed in the central and western regions. In 2003, there were 92 counties in the east, 6 counties in the middle and 2 counties in the west. The industrialization level of county economy is low, and the quality of labor force is low. Generally speaking, the county economy presents the basic characteristics of "big agricultural county, small industrial county and poor financial county". The quality of county labor force is low. The average education period of the population over 6 years old in county units is a little over 7 years, and the population with primary school education accounts for 43%. It is difficult to develop industry in the county.
Some people vividly say that the elements of county development have been pumped away by the four major pumps. First, the ground pump, central cities and a large number of development zones occupy land, causing farmers to lose their land, lose their jobs and collapse. Second, industrial pumps, the value-added part of agricultural products processing is mainly completed in cities, and the industrialization of county economy and agriculture is only the primary link. The third is to subsidize pumps. All kinds of subsidies given by the central government to farmers have been intercepted layer by layer and have not really been sent to farmers. The fourth is the credit pump. The branches of the four major state-owned commercial banks in the county basically only save money without lending, taking rural cash and farmers' funds to go to cities for construction. County and township financial difficulties. The average fiscal deficit of each county in China is 1 100 million yuan, and deficit counties account for about 3/4 of the counties in China, and the total deficit accounts for nearly 80% of the total fiscal volume of these places. It is difficult for farmers to increase their income. The net income of farmers increased by 6.8% last year. The income gap between urban and rural areas has widened. The rights and obligations of county governments are asymmetric. County-level administrative units have increased their financial power, decentralized their powers, weakened their financial strength, and increased their obligations such as compulsory education subsidies and safe production.
Director, Research Center for Underdeveloped Economy, China Academy of Social Sciences, Yuan Gang
The road from widening the gap between urban and rural areas to balanced and coordinated development
In the past, the policy paid insufficient attention to underdeveloped areas, and the gap between underdeveloped areas and developed areas widened. Now, the policy is shifting to less developed areas. However, there are still problems of slow transformation and insufficient strength, and underdeveloped areas hope that this transformation will be faster. The problems of county economy are mainly the problems of agriculture, rural areas and farmers, which bear the burden of accelerated development of urbanization and industrialization. The county economy in underdeveloped areas bears the double costs of widening regional gap and widening urban-rural gap. The development of county economy in underdeveloped areas is seriously lagging behind, and the gap is widening, which is not entirely caused by market mechanism, but policies have also played a great role. How the policy treats the county economy, especially the county economy in underdeveloped areas, is actually a macro issue involving whether urban and rural areas can achieve coordinated development. We should change the macro-policy and development policy as soon as possible, and pay more attention to the county economy in underdeveloped areas.
Since the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the relationship between regional and urban-rural development has changed from urbanization-oriented to overall urban-rural development. This is an important change. It is precisely because of this change that a new situation has emerged in which underdeveloped areas are valued today. But the later transformation is much more difficult. There are still many people who don't think that the regional gap and the urban-rural gap have expanded to a serious degree that we must pay attention to. Last year, the income ratio of urban and rural residents exceeded 1:3, and the income gap will widen this year. If we consider the actual consumption of social security and public services that farmers can enjoy, the real income gap between urban and rural areas will be even greater. At present, there are problems in estimating the widening gap in statistics and calculation methods, which leads to underestimation of the backwardness and tolerance of underdeveloped areas. There is also an understanding that the rapid development of coastal areas supports the rapid development of the overall economy, but there is little research on the adverse consequences of the widening gap between regions and urban and rural areas caused by the policy of leaning eastward. Now less developed areas are beginning to be taken seriously, and policies will be transferred to less developed areas.
At present, there may be a new round of development climax in coastal areas. Regional and urban-rural coordinated development policies are facing challenges. If the policy inclines to the east intentionally or unintentionally, or the policy shift to underdeveloped areas is not big enough, the gap will continue to widen or even accelerate. It is impossible to narrow the gap without adjusting or changing the original policy. In recent years, the state has taken a series of powerful measures to support agriculture, rural areas and farmers, which may have played a certain role in delaying the process of widening the gap, but the policy to curb the trend of widening the regional gap is still insufficient, and the contradiction of economic development difficulties in underdeveloped areas is becoming more and more prominent. 10 for many years, I have always disagreed with the theory that the widening gap is an inevitable stage of development. The negative impact of the widening gap is becoming more and more obvious. The problem of widening gap is related to policy and can be solved through policy adjustment and transformation. We should attach great importance to speeding up the development of county economy in underdeveloped areas and promote the road of balanced and coordinated development of China's economic development from the widening gap between urban and rural areas.