The 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its 26th briefing session on issues of major concern in Beijing on June 26, focusing on information-based development of agriculture and rural areas. Hu Chunhua and Qin Boyong, vice-chairpersons of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the session.

In recent years, advances in science and technology have significantly accelerated the integration of information technology across all aspects of agriculture and rural life, leading to profound changes in how people work and live in rural areas. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council have placed high importance on this trend, launching major strategies such as the Digital China initiative to support the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

Jiang Wensheng, vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, and Xie Shaofeng, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, gave briefings on related work.

Jiang explained that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, as one of the leading departments in advancing this work, is pursuing a systematic and multipronged approach to promote high-quality information-based development in agriculture and rural areas. Efforts will focus on addressing key implementation challenges, formulating innovative policy measures, enhancing practical applications, and overcoming development bottlenecks, he said. The ministry will also work to coordinate the development of smart agriculture, digital villages, and a digital government to drive rural vitalization through digital empowerment, according to Jiang.

Xie noted that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has made steady progress in advancing the deep integration of informatization and industrialization. The ministry will accelerate the construction of rural information infrastructure, expand the application of information technology across agricultural sectors, and boost the research and utilization of intelligent agricultural machinery, Xie said. Efforts will also be made to enhance the digital literacy and skills of farmers, and to promote the integration of primary, secondary and tertiary industries to speed up information-based development in agriculture and rural areas, he added.

During the meeting, CPPCC members also engaged in interactive discussions, offering suggestions on addressing the "last mile" of information technology application in agriculture and promoting the application of artificial intelligence in rural development.