It's been long overdue!
Changes to China's strict one-child policy,
which will allow more parents to have a
second child, will begin to roll out early next
year, state media said.
The policy change is expected to go into
force in some areas of China in the first
quarter of 2014, Yang Wenzhuang, a
director at the National Health and Family
Planning Commission, told the official Xinhua
news agency.
Beijing said last month it would allow
millions of families to have two children, the
most radical relaxation of its strict one-child
policy in close to three decades. The move is
part of a plan to raise fertility rates and ease
the financial burden on China's rapidly
ageing population.
The one-child policy, though applauded by
many for slowing down China’s rapid
population growth, has been widely
criticized for resulting in forced abortions
and hefty fines that are sometimes used to
enforce it.
Some critics say the law hurts China’s elderly,
who typically rely on their children for
support in old age, and even constrains
economic growth as the working age
population begins to decline.
“It is the right time to make changes. The
low birth rate is stable, the working
population still large and the burden of
supporting the elderly remains relatively
light,” Li Bin, minister in charge of the
National Health and Family Planning
Commission, was quoted by Xinhua as
saying on Monday.
The State Council says authorities at regional
level should amend family planning
regulations after evaluating local
demographics.
An increase in births is expected if the policy
changes but will not seriously affect the
food supply, public education, healthcare or
employment, Li added.