China will soon allow couples to have two children.
This update was announced Thursday by the country's ruling Communist party via the state-run news agency Xinhua, effectively replacing China's decades-old one-child policy.
"To promote a balanced growth of population, China will continue to uphold the basic national policy of population control and improve its strategy on population development," the statement said, as noted by CNN. "China will fully implement the policy of 'one couple, two children' in a proactive response to the issue of an aging population."
This proposal, however, still needs the approval of the National People's Congress in March next year, before it can be implemented.
This new development shows that the government is still exercising a firm hand on population control. However, this motion may be a bit too late, according to demographers.
"China already faces a declining, graying population without the workers it needs for its vast economy," The Wall Street Journal observed.
"The National Health and Family Planning Commission will move slowly to ensure that there are enough services in place for couples wishing to have a second child in order to avoid major population spikes and fluctuations," the publication reported. "Local officials will simplify the birth application procedures for couples, who currently have to go through a complicated procedure that can often take months."
The government had relaxed some points in the one-child policy two years ago, permitting couples to have two kids if one of the parents was an only child. Despite this, many couples who were eligible balked at having another child due to the cost and the pressures of rearing kids in a very competitive environment, The New York Times said.
"The initial public reaction to the party leaders' decision was restrained, and many citizens in Beijing who were asked whether they would grasp the chance to have two children expressed reluctance or outright indifference," the news source said. "Some, however, were pleased."
In the wake of this announcement, Amnesty International said in a statement that this change is still not enough.
"Couples that have two children could still be subjected to coercive and intrusive forms of contraception, and even forced abortions -- which amount to torture," William Nee, China researcher, pointed out. "The state has no business regulating how many children people have."
Right now, the country could have the most number of elderly in the world in 15 years, with those over 60 numbering to at least 400 million.
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