The China–Europe Forum on Beautiful Countryside was held in Deqing, Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, on Oct. 18. Ma Youxiang, Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, attended the forum and delivered remarks.  

Vice Minister Ma said the Chinese government is earnestly implementing the key instructions of President Xi Jinping and continuously advancing the development of a beautiful and harmonious countryside that is desirable to live and work in by adopting a systematic approach and summarizing and promoting experience gained in the “Thousand Villages Demonstration, Ten Thousand Villages Renovation” project. Significant progress has been made in areas such as rural industries, infrastructure, living conditions, public services, and rural governance.  

Vice Minister Ma noted that building more vibrant and appealing rural areas embodies the people’s aspirations for a better life. China hopes to work with Europe to deepen exchanges, unlock the potential of rural areas, raise the standard of rural development, and turn cooperation in rural areas into a new growth driver in China–Europe cooperation, thus contributing to global rural development.  

The State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture of Germany, the Governor of West Flanders of Belgium, and the Director-General of the International Organization of Vine and Wine each delivered remarks and commended China for successfully hosting the forum. They expressed hope that the forum would serve as a platform for China and Europe to enhance cooperation and exchanges in areas such as policy making, sci-tech innovation, and capacity building, thus propelling closer cooperation in agriculture and rural areas between Europe and China. 

Li Yanyi, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province, attended the forum and delivered remarks. Leaders of agricultural departments and local governments of several countries, diplomatic envoys in China, representatives of international organizations, and domestic and foreign experts and scholars also participated.  

Under the theme “Dialogue and Cooperation for Beautiful and Harmonious Countryside in China and Europe”, the forum featured keynote speeches, panel discussions, and field trips, with a focus on developing specialty industries, integrating agriculture, culture, and tourism, and building low-carbon villages and towns. The Deqing Initiative of the China–European Forum on Beautiful Countryside was released during the forum.  

(转载自农业农村部官网)