China launches a new round of rural road construction and renovation

With the approval of the State Council, the Ministry of Transport, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the People's Bank of China, and the National Rural Revitalization Bureau recently jointly issued the Implementation Plan for Expanding Rural Road Investment to Stabilize Employment and Better Serve Rural Revitalization (hereinafter referred to as the Implementation Plan) to launch a new round of rural road construction and renovation, expand effective investment in rural roads, create more channels for rural residents to find employment, continue to consolidate the results of poverty elimination, and advance rural revitalization across the board.

According to the Implementation Plan, by 2025, the rural road network will be further improved to become more convenient, efficient, inclusive, and equitable, the renovation of existing Category 4 and 5 bridges in rural roads by the end of 2020 will be largely completed, the safety and service guarantee capabilities of rural roads will be further enhanced. All these will significantly contributing to the advancement of rural revitalization and the improvement of the sense of gain, happiness, and security among rural residents. In 2022, building on the efforts to achieve the annual rural road objectives ahead of schedule, China will further strengthen financial and other policy support, implement a number of qualified 14th Five-Year Plan projects ahead of schedule, complete the construction and renovation of 30,000 kilometers of rural roads, implement 30,000 kilometers of rural road safety and life protection projects, and renovate 3,000 dangerous bridges on rural roads. China will strive to complete an additional investment of approximately 100 billion yuan and drive local employment and income growth for about 2 million people. Meanwhile, the number of employment positions in rural road maintenance will be stabilized at around 800,000.

The Implementation Plan clearly states that all localities must speed up the organization and implementation of the five major projects, namely the rural road backbone network upgrading project, the basic road network extension and improvement project, the safety assurance capacity improvement project, the rural road and industry integration development project, and the service level improvement project, to ensure that rural roads are well built, managed, maintained, and operated.

The Implementation Plan emphasizes that the construction of rural roads are well built, managed, maintained, and operated should actively create local employment opportunities for rural residents and establish a long-term mechanism for high-quality development while absorbing employment for disadvantaged groups. It encourages the promotion of employment-based assistance programs in rural road construction and maintenance, thereby driving local rural labor forces to secure nearby employment and increase their income. China should make good use of various employment positions such as public welfare positions in the field of rural road maintenance and increase the development of rural road maintenance positions. China should ensure that migrant workers’ wages are paid on time and in full, training for migrant workers working in rural road projects are provided, and the legitimate rights and interests of migrant workers are protected.

The Implementation Plan requires that all localities strengthen the guarantee of factors including financial guarantee, supporting policies, and technical support, and strengthen overall coordination, evaluation and assessment, supervision and guidance, and do a good job in publicity and guidance.