China is carving out a distinctive development path which features urban-rural integration. This approach has not only yielded tangible results domestically but also drawn the attention of other countries.
Against the global backdrop of rapid urbanization, many countries have had to face the common challenges of rural decline and cultural discontinuity. However, China is carving out a distinctive development path which features urban-rural integration. This approach has not only yielded tangible results domestically but also drawn the attention of other countries.
In a recent series of interviews with international experts on the topic of sustainable urban-rural development, each of them spoke highly of China’s development model. From their respective professional perspectives, they provided in-depth analyses of its underlying logic and global significance. Experts believe that China has found an effective way to address its urban-rural disparities, while contributing much valuable wisdom to the global sustainable development agenda.
As autumn colors bathe the countryside of east China’s Jiangsu Province, local harvesters move across golden rice fields set off by white-walled homes in the background of Shiji Village, Suqian City of Jiangsu Province, on November 3, 2025.
Systemic Governance
“China is setting the pace in multiple areas,” said Professor Joe Ravetz, co-director of the Collaboratory for Urban Resilience & Energy at the Manchester Urban Institute, University of Manchester. He believes that the most notable advantage of the Chinese model lies in its exceptional systemic approach and strong implementation capacity. This makes the country stand out in global public planning.
Ravetz observed that when confronting complex urban-rural issues, China adopts a holistic problem-solving approach. “China’s strength is its ability to think systematically, asking ‘How do we solve this problem?’ Then, it formulates specific policies at the appropriate governmental levels and implements them through powerful instruments such as the Five-Year Plans.” This governance model, which starts with top-level design and passes downward, ensures policy coherence and unified objectives.
However, even the best planning is meaningless without guarantees of implementation. Ravetz pointed out that the key to China’s successful model lies not only in planning but in its robust capacity to implement that plan, supported by “adequate resources and real authority.” He emphasized that in many countries, planners often struggle due to resource constraints or the interests of the private sector. “By contrast, the effective implementation of China’s policies demonstrates the unique strength of its governance model.”
Madina Junussova, a senior research fellow at the Institute of Public Policy and Administration and an Urban Development Lead for the Graduate School of Development (GSD) at the University of Central Asia, strongly echoed this perspective. “Governments at all levels in China pay much attention to the important links between urban and rural areas, a practice quite uncommon in many countries,” she said. It is precisely this high degree of top-down attention, she believed, that has enabled China to roll out rural revitalization initiatives at such a rapid pace and achieve “notable results.”
Qian Deqi, a returning young entrepreneur, and his team run a lawn café in Wenzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province. The café offers visitors a tranquil environment and private venue under the open skies for gatherings such as birthday parties.
Putting People First
The aim of designing grand plans is to improve people’s daily lives. Experts agree that the vitality of China’s urban-rural integration model lies in its people-centered approach, especially its respect for and activation of community power.
Professor Hassan Radoine of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Morocco proposed the concept of “The New Rural.” He predicted that as “urban diseases” in major cities become increasingly severe, a future trend of “reverse migration” from cities back to the countryside may emerge. Villages that have been thoughtfully revitalized while preserving their cultural essence and authenticity will become “ideal havens” for people seeking a high-quality life.
Taking Songyang in Zhejiang Province, the first county Radoine visited in China, as an example, he praised it as “a true treasure,” because it “demonstrates the depth of Chinese culture, and such an authentic culture is rooted in the community and in the harmonious relationship between community and nature.” He observed that while improving infrastructure, Songyang has maintained its commitment to restoring traditional dwellings and preserving traditional craftsmanship. Its “acupuncture-style” micro-renovations prevent the village from becoming a mere superficial “movie set,” thus safeguarding its authenticity.
Marie-Noël Tournoux, project director of the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region, Shanghai Center (WHITR-AP Shanghai), also felt that “one of China’s strong advantages is its focus on community.” She observed that the Chinese model which successfully combines national grand vision with local innovative practices has formed a “productive interaction between top-down and bottom-up approaches.” Dr. Junussova also mentioned that local Chinese governments take time to “listen to residents’ ideas about their ideal way of life” during the transformation process. This respect for community aspirations is key to ensuring the long-term vitality of rural revitalization. She emphasized that the core principle of urban-rural integration is “human-to-human interactions.” Only by attracting the willing participation of talent from both urban and rural areas in the process, can genuine emotional and value-based connections be formed in practice.
A tree-shaded café nestled in the middle of rice paddies in Jinhua, east China’s Zhejiang Province, is a popular destination for visitors.
Global Significance
China’s experience can serve as a reference for many of the challenges countries are facing around the globe. While highly praising the Chinese model, experts also actively discussed prospects for sharing China’s experience worldwide and advancing international cooperation. They believed that both the challenges China faces and the strategies it adopts in advancing urban-rural integration have deep commonalities across the world.
As for how China can share its experience, experts offered concrete suggestions. Professor Radoine introduced that his university is cooperating with UN-Habitat to establish an international center for sustainable territorial development and urban performance. The goal of the center is to develop a system of key performance indicators (KPIs) that can evaluate and promote successful cases like Songyang, providing replicable, scientific guidance for Global South countries.
Marie urged that international cooperation must go beyond academic exchange and be rooted in on-the-ground engagement. “What is truly valuable is having international experts work alongside local teams in the field and listen to the needs of local leaders and people, thus co-creating, experimenting, and moving forward together.”
From systemic governance to community activation, from cultural revitalization to international cooperation, China’s model of urban-rural integration offers a development path that differs from traditional urbanization. It draws on China’s unique system and cultural context while responding to shared global sustainability challenges. As Professor Ravetz remarked, “In addition to solving its own problems, China is also helping the world explore a more balanced and more resilient development possibility.”
