China raised five specific objectives in building "a new socialist countryside", a senior official told a new conference here on Wednesday.

China would boost rural productivity, improve rural infrastructure construction, promote social development and deepen democracy in the countryside as well as increase the living standards of farmers, Chen Xiwen, deputy director of the Office of the Central Financial Work Leading Group said.

China's central authorities released Tuesday its first major document of the year calling for the construction of a "new socialist countryside" as the foremost task facing China in the 2006-2010 period.

It's the third consecutive time since 2004 that agriculture, farmers and countryside development have become topics of the first documents in of the year issued by the central authorities.

Building a socialist new countryside should not be interpreted as merely constructing new villages, Chen said.

China should focus on efficiency and actual effects instead of speciosity. Central and local governments should support the development through democratic negotiation instead of commanding, he said.

Also, rural areas should develop themselves according to their abilities and carry forward their own characteristics while governments should provide proper support.

Source: Xinhua