Chinese Premier Li Qiang chaired a State Council executive meeting on Friday, hearing a report on the implementation of the arrangements set forth at the Central Urban Work Conference and the progress of urban renewal efforts.
The meeting also reviewed and adopted 15th five-year plans for urban renewal and for accelerating agricultural and rural modernization, and deliberated on work related to population and basic education.
After the Central Urban Work Conference, local authorities have rolled out a series of measures to advance high-quality urban development. China's urban development is shifting from the stage of large-scale incremental expansion to a stage focused on improving the quality and efficiency of existing urban stock, according to the meeting.
China will effectively deliver on the key tasks of urban renewal, foster and expand new growth drivers for urban development, build high-quality urban living spaces and promote the green and low-carbon transition of urban development, according to the meeting.
On advancing agricultural and rural modernization, work related to agriculture, rural areas and farmers must continue to be given top priority, the meeting said.
More efforts should be made to strengthen comprehensive agricultural production capacity, consolidate and expand the gains in poverty alleviation, and broaden channels for farmers to increase their incomes, according to the meeting. It also underscored the need to safeguard food security and guard against large-scale relapse into poverty.
The meeting also stressed the need to adapt to new developments in population dynamics, strive to maintain an appropriate fertility rate and population size, and unlock the potential of human resources to promote high-quality population development. Efforts should be accelerated to foster a birth-friendly society, with stronger support and services related to childbirth and child-rearing, according to the meeting. It also called for actively responding to population aging and improving the social security system and services for the elderly.
The meeting also stressed the need to stay focused on the objective of establishing China as a leading country in education by 2035, improve the quality of basic education, and strengthen the coordinated allocation of basic education resources.
Chinese premier chairs meeting on urban renewal, agriculture, population, basic education
The landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump has demonstrated the two leaders are willing to get bilateral ties back on the right track and deliver greater stability to benefit both countries and the world at large, according to experts.
Trump on Friday concluded a three-day state visit to China at the invitation of Xi, which marked the first such U.S. presidential visit in nine years.
In a meeting closely watched by the world, Xi and Trump held talks on Thursday in which they agreed on a new vision of building a constructive bilateral relationship of strategic stability.
Xi said in their talks that he looks forward to working together with Trump to set the course and steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations, so as to make 2026 a historic, landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China-U.S. relations.
Trump said it was a great honor to pay a state visit to China, calling Xi a "great leader" and China a great country, expressing his willingness to work with Xi to strengthen communication and cooperation, properly handle differences, make bilateral relations better than ever before and embrace a "fantastic future."
Analysts noted the significance of the exchange of these warm words at the Great Hall of the People as a sign that the two leaders wish to steer relations to a better place following past disagreements.
"Now, if you look at the two leaders, they wanted to put that relationship back on track. And one term President Donald Trump used frequently is 'friend' and 'friendship' to refer to China and to refer to the Chinese leader," said Li Cheng, founding director of the Center on Contemporary China and the World at the University of Hong Kong.
"I think that shows that both leaders of the two countries sort of pay a great respect to each other and also deem this a very important and historical meeting as a critical juncture, a landmark, or a watershed, whatever you call it, a very critical moment in history that will define the future of the bilateral relationship,"said Zhao Hai, director of international political studies at the National Institute for Global Strategy under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
"The world is watching and everybody is worried about and concerned about because of last year's [trade dispute which saw] both countries' frictions with each other. They are looking forward to a more stable and future forward-looking China-U.S. relationship because this has importance around the world, has implications around the world. And I think the beginning words (opening remarks) from both leaders show that they have the willingness and they understand the importance of this bilateral relationship moving forward that has not only very important implications bilaterally, but also regionally and globally," he continued.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Xi and Trump reached a series of new common understandings and have pledged to work to promote the steady, sound and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations, and bring more peace, prosperity and progress to the world.
Given the wider global implications of the relationship between the world's two biggest economies, Zhao said it is important that China and the U.S. will work together in order to maintain stability and ensure global supply chains can be more reliable.
"Moving forward, I think it's critically important that China and the U.S. reach a deal not only on purchasing but also on tariffs, on technology, on many of the important issues so that they maintain stability, that is really beneficial to both countries. And other [parts of the] world are looking at whether now the two countries can work out a solution to maintain stability because the global supply chain really depends on the two countries looking at each other and not really upsetting the relationship," he said.
Landmark Xi-Trump summit shows leaders keen to put bilateral ties back on track: experts
