Govt to create sustainable living environment in rural areas

China will intensify efforts to improve living environment in rural areas while carrying out the rural rejuvenation strategy, a senior agricultural official said on Saturday.

A key part of the efforts will be accelerating development plans for villages across the country to meet expectations of residents in rural areas, Yu Xinrong, vice-minister of agriculture and rural affairs, said at a news conference.

The plans should suit local conditions and serve to guide sustainable and healthy development of rural areas, he said.

The ministry will improve supervision over local governments to improve living environment in rural areas, and improvement will be linked to the evaluation of local officials, he said.

Although living environment in rural areas across China has been improving in recent years, it still lags behind urban areas, Yu said.

For example, around a quarter of household waste in rural areas is not collected and treated, and 80 percent of household sewage in rural areas is not properly treated before being discharged to the environment, he said.