Chinese vice premier urges improvements to rural living environments

HANGZHOU, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua called on Friday for efforts to ensure a good start on improving rural living environments in the new development stage.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a meeting on upgrading rural living environments in Jingning County in the city of Lishui, in east China's Zhejiang Province.

Noting that improving rural living environments in the new development stage is a major task in realizing rural modernization, Hu urged governments at all levels to make renovations based on the villages' existing conditions and double down on upgrading public spaces.

Efforts should be made to guide rural residents in keeping both private and public spaces decent, and to establish in a speedier manner a long-standing maintenance mechanism that lets rural residents play their due part, said Hu.

Hu stressed planning, prudent decision-making and pragmatic approaches in advancing the cause, warning against "one-size-fits-all" measures and the waste of resources.

After the meeting, Hu inspected progress on improving rural living environments in Jingning County.