China on Thursday passed the Rural Revitalization Promotion Law, a move to speed up the development of rural areas while maintaining environmental protection measures.

Enacted by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the law, with 10 chapters and 74 articles, will take effect on June 1.

It establishes a harvest festival for farmers, aims at improving the assessment system for rural revitalization and put forth regulations for farmland protection, investing in educating more people in agricultural work, outlines farmer relocation and an ecological compensation system. 

Rural vitalization is a critical part of the Chinese government's 2020-2025 work plan and a major component of the government's plan to make China a strong modern country by 2050. The ultimate aim of rural revitalization designed by the Communist Party of China (CPC) is to "build a modern, socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced and harmonious" by the time the People's Republic of China marks its 100th founding anniversary in 2049.

In February this year, China officially declared its victory in eradicating extreme poverty. The milestone was achieved by lifting an average of 10 million people out of absolute poverty every year since 2013.

Though victorious in the poverty alleviation campaign, which mainly occurs in rural areas, the job of further improving the livelihood of rural people has not stopped. On February 25, China officially opened the National Rural Revitalization Bureau, replacing the Poverty Alleviation Office under the State Council.

China is building a new development paradigm known as double (domestic and international) circulation, and its strategic basis is to expand the domestic market. In this regard, rural areas have a huge space and a lot can be done.