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China Issues White Paper on Population, Development
Full Text of the White Paper on Population, Development
China has made "universally acknowledged success" in its population and development program over the past three decades by controlling population growth and improving overall quality of its people, said a white paper issued by the State Council's Information Office Tuesday, December 19.
But "the contradiction between population and development in China has remained sharp, and that there still exist many difficulties and challenges," it said.
China has successfully found its own way to have an integrated approach to the population issue with its own national characteristics. A system of regulating and adjusting the population growth with a proper family planning program management has gradually come into being. China's population and development program has achieved universally acknowledged success. The citizens' rights to subsistence and development and their rights in the socio-economic and cultural fields have been notably improved, it said.
The birth rate and natural growth rate decreased from 33.43 and 25.83 in 1970 to 15.23 and 8.77 in 1999 respectively. The total fertility rate of Chinese women went below the replacement level, making China one of the countries with a low fertility level in the world. China's national economy has developed at a high speed, with its overall national strength increased notably and the people's living standards greatly improved. Since the implementation of the family planning program, over 300 million births in total have been averted nationally, thus resulting in having saved a great amount of payment for the upbringing of children for society.
With the gross national product (GNP) quadrupled that of 1980 ahead of schedule, the Chinese people now live a relatively comfortable life. By the end of 1999, the population under the poverty line in the rural areas has decreased from over 250 million in the late 1970s to 34 million, accounting for a drop from 33% to around 3% of the total rural population. By the end of 2000, a nine-year compulsory education has been made universal by and large, and illiteracy among young and middle-aged people has been basically eliminated. In 1999, the average life expectancy increased to 71 years, the same as in medium-level developed countries, the white paper said.
Women's status has been raised distinctly, children's rights are protected, and the living standard of senior citizens has been improving. The whole society has gained a better understanding of the issue of population. International cooperation and exchanges in the area of population and development have been expanded, the white paper said.
The white paper said that there still exist many challenges and difficulties: the population growth will continue for a prolonged period of time, with an annual net increase of over 10 million in the next decade or so, which will exert great pressure on economy, society, resources, environment and the sustained development as a whole; it is difficult to change entirely the relatively low-level population quality in a short time, which is incompatible with the rapid development of science and technology; the sharp increase of labor force has placed great pressure upon the job market; the arrival of an aged society with still a quite undeveloped economy has made it more difficult to establish a comprehensive social security system; with the unbalanced economic and social development among different regions continuing to exist for a long period, it is a most arduous task to eradicate poverty; the increase of floating population, peasants entering towns and cities and population redistribution in different areas will exert impact on the traditional economic and social management system as well as the relevant population policies.
It pointed out that "many contradictions and problems in China's economic and social development are closely associated with the issue of population, which has become the key factor and primary problem restricting China's economic and social development."
"Whether the population problem can be properly solved has the direct bearing on the improvement of the population quality and the living standards of the Chinese people, as well as the prosperity of the Chinese nation. It also concerns the world peace and development," it said.
According to the white paper, China has put forward the targets for the national population and development program: by 2005, China is to have its population within 1.33 billion (excluding the population of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions and Taiwan Province); by 2010, its population will be kept under 1.4 billion and the Chinese people will lead a much better life with an obvious improvement of its population quality; and by the mid-21st century, the total population would reach its peak number of 1.6 billion to be followed by a gradual decrease, and China will have realized its modernization and achieved a coordinated development of population, economy, resources and environment.
The 12,000-character white paper elaborated on population and development action plans and guarantee measures. In order to keep a low fertility level, it is necessary to continue the present family planning policy and follow the effective working principles in implementing population and family planning program, it said.
Emphasis should be put on information, education, communication, contraception and regular services to ensure the quality of new born population, it said.
Efforts should be made in pressing ahead with urbanization, promoting orderly migration of people and increasing employment opportunities, in an effort to optimize labor resources and alleviate rural and urban poverty, it noted.
China will also strive to improve the overall quality of its entire people of the nation, safeguard the rights and interests of women, children and the elderly, and improve the ecological environment for human existence, the white paper said.
The country will improve its legal system, improving its interested-oriented mechanism, intensify publicity and educational efforts, build up a social framework for scientific and technological innovations and expand financial input in the fields of population and development, the white paper said.
The Chinese Government is willing to continue its efforts together with the international community to practically solve the problem of population and development, it said.
The Chinese Government firmly believes that China's population and development cause will develop further in the 21st century and that China will make still greater contribution to the civilization and progress of mankind.
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