Shandong lays out action plan for building rule of law in countryside

Shandong province in East China has released a three-year action plan for the building of rule of law in its rural areas, setting out the following 13 specific measures it will take:

 1. Improve legislation in key agriculture-related areas. The legislation will be focused on such matters as rural revitalization, cooperative economic organizations, right of land contracting and operation, introduction to the land trading market of collectively-owned rural land for commercial construction, protection of the rural ecological environment and resolution of social disputes.

 2. Regulate agriculture-related administrative law enforcement. A licensing and qualification management system will be strictly imposed on administrative law enforcement officers who are expected to become multi-functional talents through professional training.

 3. Strengthen public security management in rural areas. The public security system will be strengthened in rural areas with constant screening of security risks and crackdown on counterfeit food products.

 4. Toughen law enforcement and law enforcement supervision in key agriculture-related areas. Law enforcement will be reinforced in such key areas as manufacture and sale of materials for agricultural production, quality and safety of agricultural products, utilization of rural resources and control of rural environmental pollution, while special law enforcement supervision campaigns will focus on areas including wage payments to migrant workers, rural environmental governance, poverty relief and registration of property ownership in rural areas. 

5. Improve rural public legal services. Guidance and standards on public legal services will be released to encourage the expansion of such services as notarization, judicial authentication and arbitration into rural areas.

6. Improve the dispute prevention and resolution mechanism in rural areas. Channels for villagers to report disputes will be broadened with the generalization of the mode of "legal counsels + dedicated people's mediators" in villages (communities).

 7. Deepen the building of the project of a peaceful countryside. Mafia-style criminal organizations in rural areas will be severely suppressed through a public security monitoring system and improved services for and management of special groups.

 8. Enhance law publicity in rural areas. Campaigns on publicizing the Civil Code as well as laws and regulations on land expropriation will be carried out at a deeper level with the culture of rule of law cultivated in every village.

 9. Deepen the building of demonstration villages (communities) for democracy and rule of law. The dynamic management of the villages will be strengthened through regular assessment.

 10. Expedite building of the project of digital rule of law in the countryside. The building of the project of digital rule of law and smart justice will be advanced in order to realize online law publicity, legal service provision and handling of legal matters.

 11. Promote a rural governance mode incorporating self-governance, rule of law and virtuous behaviors. Villagers will be guided in developing and improving bylaws on self-governance and local rules which will be coupled with the launch of a project of nurturing role models who promote rule of law and of campaigns on cultivating positive family cultures, abandoning outdated traditions and improving hygienic conditions of rural families.

 12. Protect legitimate rights and interests of rural collective economic organizations and villagers according to the law. A proper portion of resources will be retained for the sustainable development of collective economic organizations for the purpose of consolidating the outcomes achieved in reforming the rural collective property ownership system and protecting the existing legitimate rights and interests of members of rural collective economic organizations.

 13. Regulate the exercise of micro power in the countryside. Campaigns will be launched to crack down on micro corruptions in rural areas, especially in such aspects as distribution of favorable subsidies for farmers, management of collectively-owned assets and land expropriation.