Zhejiang gives leeway on one-child policy changes
Print Edition
COUPLES in eastern Zhejiang Province are being shown some flexibility concerning an amendment to the one-child policy introduced there last Friday.
Under changes approved by the Zhejiang Province People’s Congress, following an announcement by the Party in November, couples with one partner from a one-child family can have a second child.
Previously, in most cases, both of the couple had to come from one-child families to have two children. Couples not adhering faced a fine.
Under both systems couples must apply, presenting documents to family planning officials to prove eligibility.
But Zhejiang authorities have announced that couples who recently had a second child and would have been eligible under the new policy will not face a fine — provided fine has not already been issued.
And applications from women due to give birth before June 30 will be fast-tracked so they are processed in time.
Officials will give timely responses to applications, with staff visiting homes, Zhejiang Province Governor Li Qiang told Xinhua news agency.
Li said the amendment to the one-child policy was needed to address an aging population. Zhejiang has a working population of 32 million and this had been predicted to shrink to 18 million by 2050.
“People have been longing for the new population policy for a long time and we must adopt it as soon as possible,” Li said.
A survey in Zhejiang found that about 30 percent of couples eligible to have a second child under the new policy did not plan to do so, citing their ages, financial commitments and careers as factors.
The provincial health authority said Zhejiang will see 100,000 more children delivered annually in the first five years of the policy.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
