China Publishes Decision on Population and Family PlanningChina will realize a low birth rate and shift from slow population growth to zero growth in the next few decades, according to a decision by the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee and the State Council.Entitled "Decision on Strengthening Population and Family Planning Work and Maintaining A Low Birth Rate," the document issued on March 2 has set goals and principles for China's population and family planning work for the next decades. China will keep the average population birth rate under 1.5 percent a year to control its population to within 1.4 billion by the end of 2010, according to the decision. The populations in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and in Taiwan Province are not included in the project. The Chinese population will reach its peak (nearly 1.6 billion)by the middle of the 21st Century, and the population quality will be improved during the period. The 5,500-word document consists of five parts: "Keeping the birth rate low is a crucial but hard task in the future"; "Goals and principles for population and family planning work for the next decade"; "Improving the controlling system for population and family planning and relevant social and economic policies"; "Building a management mechanism of population and family planning which appeals to the socialist market economy"; and "Strengtheningthe leadership of party and government in population and family planning work". The decision points out that population is a major issue in today's China, and also a key factor affecting the country's economic and social development. To control the population growth and improve population quality is of strategic importance to the realization of socialist modernization and sustainable growth, according to the decision. It notes that since the reform and opening-up policies were initiated in 1978, China has succeeded in shifting from having a high birth rate, low death rate and high population growth to the current low birth rate, low death rate and low growth rate. It points out that this transformation has helped to slow down the population growth worldwide. However, the decision said, the country will continue to feel the pressure of a large and growing population, while the aging of population, the contradictions among population, economy, resources and environment, and other problems still exist. A more perfect control system will be built and a better environment will be created through legislation and state policies to promote population and family planning work. Departments of information, education, science and technology, and culture should play active roles in spreading knowledge about population and family planning, the decision said. Family planning and health care departments should cooperate in providing services for birth control and other health care needs. And more safe, effective and proper contraceptive methods should be made available to women of childbearing age. The decision urged the party, government and society as a whole to work harder to promote population and family planning work so as to serve the long-term interests of the nation. |
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