China News  
Shanghai to encourage two-child families: report

Rural couples have long been allowed two children if the first child is a girl, while China's ethnic minorities have largely been exempted from the family planning policies.
by Staff Writers
Shanghai (AFP) July 24, 2009
Shanghai is to encourage some families to have two children as China takes steps to relax its strict one-child policy in response to the ageing population, state press reported Friday.

Urban couples in China's most populous city will be urged to have two children if the husband and wife are themselves only children, the China Daily said.

"We advocate eligible couples to have two kids because it can help reduce the proportion of the ageing people and alleviate a workforce shortage in the future," the paper quoted Shanghai family planning director Xie Lingli as saying.

Family planning centres are handing out leaflets to encourage eligible couples to have a second child and will offer family and financial counselling for those taking up the offer, it said.

People over 60 make up 22 percent of the city's total population, a number that is expected to grow to 34 percent in 2020, the paper said.

A similar situation in most Chinese cities has recently prompted the government to relax the "one-child" family planning policy in urban areas for those couples coming from one-child families, the paper said.

Rural couples have long been allowed two children if the first child is a girl, while China's ethnic minorities have largely been exempted from the family planning policies.

China's "one-child" policy, first implemented in 1979, has resulted in 400 million fewer births, according to the government. At more than 1.3 billion people, China has the world's largest population.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
China News from SinoDaily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Police in China detain family of dead man over riot: state media
Beijing (AFP) July 23, 2009
Chinese police have detained family members of a man whose death last month sparked a riot that resulted in thousands of people clashing with security forces, the government and media said Thursday. At least five relatives of Tu Yuangao have been detained and several others questioned by police in Shishou city, in the central province of Hubei, for their alleged roles in the unrest ... read more







The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement