This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/23/china-may-adopt-two-child-policy-this-year-as-demographic-timebomb-looms
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| China may adopt 'two-child policy' this year as demographic timebomb looms | China may adopt 'two-child policy' this year as demographic timebomb looms |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Thirty-five years after enacting draconian birth control rules blamed for millions of forced abortions and the creation of a demographic “time bomb”, China could be on the verge of introducing a two-child policy. | Thirty-five years after enacting draconian birth control rules blamed for millions of forced abortions and the creation of a demographic “time bomb”, China could be on the verge of introducing a two-child policy. |
| The new regulation, under which all Chinese couples would be allowed to have two children, could be implemented “as soon as the end of the year if everything goes well,” a government source was quoted as saying by the China Business News. | The new regulation, under which all Chinese couples would be allowed to have two children, could be implemented “as soon as the end of the year if everything goes well,” a government source was quoted as saying by the China Business News. |
| Liang Zhongtang, a demographer from the Shanghai Academy of Social Science, said the one-child policy “should have been abolished long ago”. | Liang Zhongtang, a demographer from the Shanghai Academy of Social Science, said the one-child policy “should have been abolished long ago”. |
| “The core issue is not about one-child or two-children. It’s about reproductive freedom. It’s about basic human rights. In the past, the government failed to grasp the essence of the issue.” | “The core issue is not about one-child or two-children. It’s about reproductive freedom. It’s about basic human rights. In the past, the government failed to grasp the essence of the issue.” |
| Related: China’s little emperors – the children without siblings | Related: China’s little emperors – the children without siblings |
| Beijing, which introduced the one-child policy in 1980, was quick to play down claims the two-child policy would be in place by the end of the year. | Beijing, which introduced the one-child policy in 1980, was quick to play down claims the two-child policy would be in place by the end of the year. |
| “No timetable has been set to allow all couples in the country to have a second child,” the National Health and Family Planning Commission insisted according to the state-run China Daily. | “No timetable has been set to allow all couples in the country to have a second child,” the National Health and Family Planning Commission insisted according to the state-run China Daily. |
| Lu Jiehua, a professor of demographics at Peking University, told the Global Times the change would probably come next year. “All relevant policies, regulations, formalities and facilities need to be in place to support [the policy] and it takes time.” | Lu Jiehua, a professor of demographics at Peking University, told the Global Times the change would probably come next year. “All relevant policies, regulations, formalities and facilities need to be in place to support [the policy] and it takes time.” |
| Liang Zhongtang, the demographer, said the apparent decision to bring in a two-child policy had been driven by growing public opposition to family planning laws. The internet – to which nearly 650m Chinese people are now connected – had made public hostility more visible and more powerful, he added. | |
| “The government – under increasing public pressure – has to respond to people’s demands.” | “The government – under increasing public pressure – has to respond to people’s demands.” |
| Moves to loosen strict birth control rules are also a response to a demographic “time bomb” created by the one-child policy, which Beijing credits with preventing 400 million births. | Moves to loosen strict birth control rules are also a response to a demographic “time bomb” created by the one-child policy, which Beijing credits with preventing 400 million births. |
| Experts warn that China’s population is ageing rapidly while the labour pool is shrinking. The country will have nearly 440 million over-60s by 2050, according to UN estimates. | Experts warn that China’s population is ageing rapidly while the labour pool is shrinking. The country will have nearly 440 million over-60s by 2050, according to UN estimates. |
| Meanwhile, the working-age population – those aged between 15 and 59 - fell by 3.71 million last year, a trend that is expected to continue. | Meanwhile, the working-age population – those aged between 15 and 59 - fell by 3.71 million last year, a trend that is expected to continue. |
| In recent years there has been a gradual relaxation of the one-child policy, which already allowed ethnic minority families and rural couples whose firstborn was a girl to have more than one child. | In recent years there has been a gradual relaxation of the one-child policy, which already allowed ethnic minority families and rural couples whose firstborn was a girl to have more than one child. |
| Since 2013 couples in many parts of the country have been allowed to have two children if one parent was an only child. | Since 2013 couples in many parts of the country have been allowed to have two children if one parent was an only child. |
| State media has celebrated the results of that policy shift, pointing to an additional 470,000 births in 2014 compared to the year before. | State media has celebrated the results of that policy shift, pointing to an additional 470,000 births in 2014 compared to the year before. |
| But experts say the fertility rate is not rising fast enough with financial constraints putting many urban couples off having a second child. | But experts say the fertility rate is not rising fast enough with financial constraints putting many urban couples off having a second child. |
| “The change is imperative,” said Yi Fuxian, a demographer and outspoken critic of the one-child policy. “The government’s selective two-child policy has proved a failure. Scrapping one-child policy is the only sensible solution to China’s population crisis.” | “The change is imperative,” said Yi Fuxian, a demographer and outspoken critic of the one-child policy. “The government’s selective two-child policy has proved a failure. Scrapping one-child policy is the only sensible solution to China’s population crisis.” |
| For millions of “orphaned” parents – who lost the only child the Communist party allowed them to have – news of the impending policy change brought little comfort. | For millions of “orphaned” parents – who lost the only child the Communist party allowed them to have – news of the impending policy change brought little comfort. |
| Huo Daozhong, 58, whose only son took his own life in 2013, said: “It’s too late. The policy has nothing to do with us now.” | Huo Daozhong, 58, whose only son took his own life in 2013, said: “It’s too late. The policy has nothing to do with us now.” |
| “He was only 30-years-old when he died. It felt like all our hopes had gone,” Huo said of his only late son. “Nothing matters now. We are alive but feel dead inside.” | “He was only 30-years-old when he died. It felt like all our hopes had gone,” Huo said of his only late son. “Nothing matters now. We are alive but feel dead inside.” |
| Additional reporting by Luna Lin | Additional reporting by Luna Lin |