The Qiushi Periodical published by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China will print the full text of Premier Wen Jiabao's article on the country's rural reform in its 18th issue on Saturday.

The article entitled "Seize the opportunity to advance comprehensive rural reforms and provide institutional guarantees for building the New Socialist Countryside" is of great significance to future rural development.

The three-part essay deals with the importance and difficulty of rural reforms, the objectives of the reforms and how to carry out the reforms successfully and realize the goal of developing a new socialist countryside.

"Clarifying the problems related to the countryside, agriculture and farmers is of special importance to the cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics."

"Resolving these problems effectively will testify to the maturity of China's socialist system," reads the article.

"With most of its population in rural areas, China must modernize the countryside in order to modernize the country," it said.

The article said that China had taken "three gigantic steps" in rural reforms over the past 30 years. The first step was to build an economic system and market mechanism that grant farmers economic independence. The second step was to balance development between urban and rural China and adjust national income distribution. The third step was to advance comprehensive rural reforms, and resolve difficult structural problems.

"The ultimate goal of the three steps is to safeguard farmers' material interests and democratic rights and also develop productivity," it said.

The article also pointed out that the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010) was of crucial importance to the establishment of a socialist market economy system.

"Annulling agricultural tax across China this year marks a new stage in China's rural reforms. The Chinese government will continue to deepen institutional reforms and compulsory education reforms at township level and financial reforms at county and township levels," it said.

The CPC central committee's plan to build the "new socialist countryside" is critical to the development of an affluent society in China.

The fundamental goals of building the new socialist countryside are to boost rural productivity, overcome structural problems and boost the vitality of rural China.

Rural reforms not only give impetus to the building of the new socialist countryside but are in themselves a momentous task, said the article.

(Xinhua News Agency September 15, 2006)