BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- China will make efforts to advance rural construction during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) to improve rural residents' living standard and satisfy their need of building a beautiful countryside, a senior official has said.

Efforts should be made to encourage local governments to properly determine the classification and layout of villages, speed up the formulation of village construction plans, and protect traditional villages and dwellings and their distinctive features, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Tang Renjian said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

China will continue to improve rural public infrastructure, making water, electricity, gas and telecommunication services more accessible to rural residents, Tang said.

By building roads that facilitate transportation of resources, industrial development and tourism promotion, and improving logistics system and cold-chain facilities, the country will be able to solve rural residents' production and living problems at the same time, he said.

Tang said a campaign to improve the rural living environment will be launched. Rural areas will see improved access to sanitary toilets and a higher sewage treatment rate.

Continued efforts will be made to push forward optimal allocation of public services including education, healthcare and culture facilities to meet rural residents' needs at different levels.

China unveiled its "No. 1 central document" for 2021 on Sunday, stressing efforts to comprehensively push forward rural vitalization and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

As the first policy statement released by China's central authorities every year, the document is seen as an indicator of policy priorities. Work on agriculture and rural areas has been high on the agenda for 18 consecutive years since 2004.

China will vigorously implement an action plan for rural construction, setting targets for better rural public infrastructure and basic public services, stronger rural consumption, and faster integrated urban-rural development within counties, among others, according to the document.

Tang said relevant mechanisms should be fine-tuned to implement the action plan. Medium and long-term credit funds should be utilized in addition to fiscal funds, and the society and enterprises should be encouraged to participate in rural construction.