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China May Examine One-Child Policy After 2010
November 7, 2000
Beijing, China -- After 2010, China may remove its "one couple, one child"
policy, as the country's birthrate appears to have been controlled to
about 1%, Kyodo News reports.
Chen Shengli, a spokesperson for the State Family Planning Commission,
said the policy was a "tentative measure," which was introduced in the
1980s to "curb the strong rises in population." He added it was only
expected to be effective for about 30 years.
With the low population growth, the policy may be reviewed in 10 years.
Currently, the commission estimates the population will reach 1.27 billion
by the end of the year, and should reach 1.38 billion by 2010. By the late
21st century, the Chinese population is expected to reach 1.45 billion.
Chen said that a "strong preference" for boys persists in rural areas, as
boys are more likely candidates for manual labor. As such, couples in
rural areas are permitted to have a second child if the first one is a
girl. Ethnic minorities are also allowed to have more than one child. In
urban areas, however, the current policy has "tarnished" the "traditional
respect" for large families.
- Source: Kyodo News (China); November 7, 2000
As quoted in Pro-Life Infonet #2290, 11/10/00
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