SHAOXING, Zhejiang - China will continue to support agriculture by increasing investment, improving the social safety net and making further reforms to bridge the urban-rural divide.

At a two-day Expo forum centering on the topic of economic transformation and urban-rural relations, Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, mapped out policies aiming to transform the mode of growth of China and promote urban-rural integration.

China has made outstanding strides in economic development but a large population in rural areas and a weak starting point have led to lagging development in rural areas, inequality of public services between city and countryside, and a wide income gap between the two, Zhang said.