Xi Inspects Shandong Agriculture, Urges Rural Modernization
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Dezhou City in Shandong Province on June 24, 2026, to inspect summer agricultural production during the critical “Three Summers” (sanxia) farming season. Accompanied by Shandong Party Secretary Lin Wu, Governor Zhou Naixiang, and senior official He Lifeng, Xi called for solid measures to advance agricultural and rural modernization, emphasizing food security as the top priority in agricultural production, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The Three Summers Campaign
The “Three Summers” season encompasses three critical agricultural tasks: harvesting winter wheat, rush-planting autumn crops such as corn and soybeans, and managing fields during the growing season. Summer grain accounts for approximately 40 percent of China’s annual food supply, making this period vital for national food security. As of June 18, more than 96 percent of the national wheat harvest had been completed, with the entire harvest taking just 22 days — two days faster than the previous year, thanks to improved mechanization and agri-tech measures.
Xi’s Inspection Tour
In Dongyujia Village, Lingcheng District, Xi walked into farmland and spoke directly with grain growers, farming machinery operators, and agricultural technicians. He inspected water-fertilizer integration facilities and learned about local wheat harvests, corn planting, and agricultural supplies. Grain grower Yu Shulei, who manages over 400 mu of land achieving yields of 1,300 jin per mu, expressed gratitude for Xi’s visit, stating he plans to expand and equip all his land with advanced water-fertilizer integration technology.
Xi later visited Xiyujia Village, a National Civilized Village, where he inquired about local Party organization improvements and public service delivery. At the home of villager Yu Xinhui, Xi sat down with the family to discuss their jobs, income, health care, and children’s education. Xi emphasized that Party members and officials must “do more to benefit the people, deliver tangible results for their well-being, and address their difficulties,” as reported by People’s Daily.
Food Security and Agricultural Modernization
Xi stressed that ensuring stable grain supply is the top priority in agricultural production, calling for full implementation of supportive policies, promotion of advanced crop varieties and technologies, and steady improvement in per-unit yields. The remarks come as China achieved a record grain output of 1.4298 trillion jin in 2025, with the contribution rate of agricultural science and technology exceeding 64 percent, according to the Global Times.
The inspection also highlighted challenges overcome in the current season. Autumn rainfall in late 2025 had delayed wheat planting in the Huang-Huai-Hai region, but agri-tech measures successfully recovered the delayed seedlings by spring 2026. The mechanical harvesting loss rate was kept below 1 percent.
Expert Perspectives
Su Wei, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee, told Global Times that Dezhou represents a uniquely Chinese path to agricultural modernization — maintaining the rural basic operating system while drawing on international experience in mechanization and professional services. He noted that the model cannot be simply replicated elsewhere but offers instructive lessons.
Li Guoxiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Rural Development Institute, highlighted that the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is a vital phase leading up to 2035, when China aims to achieve basic socialist modernization. Narrowing the urban-rural gap and extending modern living standards and medical services to rural populations will be increasingly important, he said.
Hu Qimu, a professor at Huaqiao University, emphasized that grassroots Party organizations serve as key coordinators of resource allocation, industrial guidance, and public service delivery in rural areas — making Party leadership an important pathway to advancing rural revitalization.
Political Significance and Forward Look
The inspection occurred one week before the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party on July 1. Xi referenced the upcoming milestone in his remarks to villagers, stating that the Party has “united and led the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in making great achievements worthy of history and the people over the past 105 years.”
As China enters the 15th Five-Year Plan period, agricultural modernization remains a core priority of Chinese modernization. The Dezhou inspection signals continued leadership focus on rural revitalization, self-sufficiency in grain production, and the integration of technology and Party-building to drive agricultural development. Key questions remain about how the Three Summers model will scale to other provinces and what specific policy measures will follow this high-profile visit.
Reporting based on Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, and Global Times coverage from June 24-25, 2026.