Report: China's Rural Development Initiatives Show Progress

China has made a solid start in its county-level campaign to build a beautiful countryside, with rural environments improving and green agricultural development advancing steadily, according to a think tank report published on Monday.

The report, titled "Progress and Achievements in Building Beautiful Countryside in China," was compiled by the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, China Daily, and China Environment News. It outlines that since the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and eight other national government bodies released an implementation plan for the initiative in early 2025, China has stepped up coordinated efforts to improve rural living environments, promote low-carbon agriculture, and strengthen governance mechanisms.

The plan aims to raise the proportion of counties that have realized the beautiful countryside initiative to 40 percent by 2027 and essentially accomplish the program by 2035. According to the report, counties must meet requirements for good public infrastructure, including roads, public lighting, green spaces, and sewage and wastewater treatment facilities. By 2025, the national rural domestic sewage treatment rate had reached 55 percent, more than double the level at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). Over 5,000 large black and odorous rural water bodies have been largely eliminated, with a treatment rate exceeding 98 percent. Rural waste collection and disposal systems have also been improved, with over 90 percent of administrative villages covered by efficient collection and processing systems.

Green agricultural development has gained momentum, with the comprehensive utilization rate of livestock and poultry manure reaching 80.1 percent in 2025, and crop straw utilization staying above 88 percent. Agricultural film disposal exceeded 85 percent, helping curb plastic pollution. Progress has also been made in soil and water conservation, with 11,500 square kilometers of soil erosion treated and northeastern black soil regions restored. The report highlights that county-level implementation is a key feature, with 600 agricultural county-level areas having completed the initiative, reaching a 20.9 percent national completion rate. Public participation and assessment mechanisms are also being strengthened.