Rural finance reform in China

China’s current financial structure does not give sufficient support to rural areas, leaving many farmers and rural businesses without the capital they need to develop. Rural finance is the weakest point in the country’s entire financial system. Low profits for rural financial institutions, a lack of rural financial products and services and the difficulty many farmers experience in securing loans are the main problems plaguing the rural financial system. Accelerating rural financial reform and making it easier for rural people to access capital are key parts of the country’s effort to reform its overall financial system, to resolve “Three Rural Issues (San Nong)(1)” (Agriculture, Countryside, Farmers), and to create “new socialist countryside”. The main objectives of this paper are to (i) examine the current status of rural finance’s demand and supply and identify existing issues and constraints; (ii) evaluate ongoing rural financial reform and explore suitable roadmaps to develop a well-functioning and sustainable rural finance system, which would address the diverse needs of “new socialist countryside” construction. (1) San nong literally means three “nong”. The word “nong” in Chinese is combined with other words to form phrases such as nongye (agriculture), nongcun (villages or countryside), and nongmin (farmers or peasants).