Rural laborers moving into cities can aid both urban and rural development if their problems are tackled properly

At present, China's economy is enjoying high growth thanks to the process of industrialization and urbanization. But, the problems of farmers-turned-workers are closely related to both the city and the countryside and are a fulcrum to balance urban and rural development.

The migrant workers issue has a profound influence on China's rural development as it concerns coordination between urban and rural areas and the equality of basic public services. In recent years, the number of rural migrants in cities has increased, especially for those younger generations with higher education and abilities, which has led to two issues.

For one thing, it has limited progress in the rural economy. With the exodus of a high-quality labor force, the rural economy is becoming purely agricultural. Meanwhile, since migrant workers can earn more money in cities, for many farmer households non-agricultural revenues are now their major source of income.

Furthermore, as fewer people below the age of 45 work in the countryside, some areas are facing the problems of an aging population and weakened labor force, to the extent that some villages are "hollowing out" as farmers move their whole family to cities.

For another thing, with rural migrants working or doing business in cities, their children are frequently left behind without enough care and attention, and many are then deprived of education and parental guidance.

According to international experience and China's own reality, the above issues could easily harm the nation's agricultural competitiveness and self-development. Hence, it is important to promote the diversification of the rural economy.

In Europe, the EU agreed a Common Agricultural Policy in 2004, and it now applies specific measures to boost diversity in rural areas and create more job opportunities in the countryside in a bid to improve living standards in rural areas.

In China, it is imperative to build more basic public facilities for rural residents to improve their lives.

As cities have become a second hometown for rural migrants, these issues are becoming increasingly pressing. There are around 6 million new urban farmers-turned-workers every year. By the end of the first quarter of this year, the total number of these workers had reached nearly 157 million. These new migrants have already become an indivisible part of our cities and have increasing influence. The education policies, the medical system and social security system are all very important for these new citizens.

The essence of urbanization is the transfer process, as farmers move from the rural areas to urban areas, during which, the new immigrants are eager to participate in a social network due to their need for self-protection and their pursuit of higher-level development. It is a process that involves pain, hope and conflicts. If, in the long term, most migrants cannot get an identity like other residents they will remain on the fringes of society.

For the past few years, the new generation of migrants has been better educated and in better physical condition compared to previous generations. It is not only a higher income they are pursuing, but also more opportunities and a better lifestyle. So the new generation is more sensitive to fairness and justice, fighting discrimination instead of enduring in silence.

Especially now, as there are more and more new citizens whose parents are farmers but who were born and grew up in cities. They don't have the experience of living in rural areas. If they cannot be integrated into city life, they will not choose to go back to the countryside, which was an option for those who migrated from villages. Therefore, they will become vagrants and become a destabilizing factor in society.

Should these problems not be addressed, it is very likely that the dual economic structure of urban and rural areas will be transplanted into the interior of cities, which could lead to a dual economic structure developing between the old and new citizens, manifested in a stark contrast in incomes and public services. Left unresolved this might then become the trigger for disharmony and destabilization.

It requires the government to develop more basic public facilities and services for these new citizens, providing conditions conducive to their transfer.

Since the 1990s, the speed of China's urbanization has sharply accelerated, with a 1.25 percent increase each year. In order to consolidate the present results, in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), China should pay attention to both the speed and the quality of urbanization, especially the latter. It is essential to improve the quality by resolving the rural migrants issue and letting more new citizens participate in the process and share the achievements.

In addition, solving the farmer-turned-worker issue will also benefit rural development, guarantee supply of farm produce and narrow the income gap, as the salaries of these new urbanites become the major source of rural family income, increasing over 11.2 percent in 2009 compared to 2008 and contributing over 50 percent of the income.

All in all, rural migrants' issues are linked to both urban and rural development and need to be properly addressed to ensure continued stability and growth in both areas.

(China Daily September 10, 2010)