By Zhang Hui
(People’s Daily, Global Times)
BEIJING: China will not make further adjustments to its family planning policy to allow all couples to have a second child in 2015, a health official said on Tuesday.
Ma Xu, head of the Science and Technology Research Institute of the National Health and Family Planning Commission and a deputy to the 12th National People’s Congress, said that the country will not be setting up pilot zones this year to encourage a second child for all families.
Ma was responding to a question about the effects of the current relaxed policy, The Beijing News reported.
In previous press conferences, several government officials dodged the issue.
A total of 470,000 babies as the second child were born in 2014 after couples were allowed to have a second child if either parent is an only child, Ma said.
But current statistics do not reflect the effects of the new policy, and the government will continue monitoring the situation for several years, he said.
Mao Qun’an, a spokesperson of the commission, said in January that China will see more couples apply for a second child this year than 2014.
This year’s two sessions also saw proposals seeking an adjustment to the current family planning policy.
Wang Ming, a public administration professor at Tsinghua University and a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, submitted two proposals, with one suggesting that the country encourage all couples to have a second child, and for the government to subsidize those families who already have a second child.
“Judging from China’s population trend, the number of newborns will drop like an avalanche even if the country removes all limitations to having a second child,” Wang told the Global Times
