China's leading party, the Communist Party of China, set the goal of eliminating poverty and boosting rural development at its third Plenary Session which closed last Saturday.

An article in China's leading newspaper, the People's Daily, says the goal focused on rural reform and development and is a big step forward in China's rural construction.

The article points out the great progress in China's rural areas since the Reform and Opening up policy adopted 30 years ago. After every rural family nationwide was given a plot of land in the early 1980s, farming enthusiasm and creativity grew rapidly.
Government subsidies improved villagers' social welfare with more rural people enjoying opportunities for education, cheap medical services, and lower taxes.

The article concludes by calling for further reforms in rural areas such as developing micro-credit and rural banking, and perfecting farmers' rights to run their own businesses.