China birth rate up after one-child rule change

[Kuwaiti Girl]

China birth rate up after one-child rule change
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38714949

Birth rates in China rose to their highest level since 2000 last year, despite a fall in the number of women of childbearing age, say officials.

The increase follows the relaxation of China's strict one-child policy a year ago.
There were 17.86 million births in 2016, an 7.9% increase on 2015, according to National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) statistics.
More than 45% of the babies born in 2016 had one or more older siblings.
"While the total number of women of childbearing age fell by five million, the number of births increased significantly, showing that the family planning policy adjustments were extremely timely and extremely effective," said the NHFPC's Yang Wenzhuang.
He said that by 2020, there were expected to be between 17 and 20 million births every year.

Officials estimate that by 2050 there will be an extra 30 million extra of working age in China.
Chinese officials credited the one-child policy with reducing overpopulation, poverty and environmental degradation.
Separate data by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) counted a slightly higher figure of 18.46 million births in 2016.
The discrepancy was blamed on different statistical methods - the NBS numbers were based on a sampling survey, while the NHFPC's were based on hospital birth certificate data - but officials said both confirmed a significant upwards trend.

 

[HannibalBarca]

China birth rate up after one-child rule change
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-38714949

Birth rates in China rose to their highest level since 2000 last year, despite a fall in the number of women of childbearing age, say officials.

The increase follows the relaxation of China's strict one-child policy a year ago.
There were 17.86 million births in 2016, an 7.9% increase on 2015, according to National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) statistics.
More than 45% of the babies born in 2016 had one or more older siblings.
"While the total number of women of childbearing age fell by five million, the number of births increased significantly, showing that the family planning policy adjustments were extremely timely and extremely effective," said the NHFPC's Yang Wenzhuang.
He said that by 2020, there were expected to be between 17 and 20 million births every year.

Officials estimate that by 2050 there will be an extra 30 million extra of working age in China.
Chinese officials credited the one-child policy with reducing overpopulation, poverty and environmental degradation.
Separate data by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) counted a slightly higher figure of 18.46 million births in 2016.
The discrepancy was blamed on different statistical methods - the NBS numbers were based on a sampling survey, while the NHFPC's were based on hospital birth certificate data - but officials said both confirmed a significant upwards trend.

China will fall not by his "enemies" but by herself... GL China...

 

[TruthHurtz]

China will fall not by his "enemies" but by herself... GL China...

Like Tunisia.

 

[HannibalBarca]

Like Tunisia.

at least we were able to make it a 4-2 tonight

Eagles love eating antelope...

 

[DoTell]

China will fall not by his "enemies" but by herself... GL China...

Agreed. But I'm sorry to tell you that such thoughts are hardly new. The masterminds of the "free world" and our dear friends from India have long wished us ill by hoping us collapse from within. And they're not all that subtle and patient. Once in a while they'd stop singing the "freedom" song and try to instigate trouble among us. Bad news for them is that we are so much wiser now that even a million Nobel peace prizes to Dalai Lama won't change a thing

 

[F-22Raptor]

China Population Crisis: New Two-Child Policy Fails To Yield Major Gains
by MARK HANRAHAN and ERIC BACULINAO

BEIJING — Despite having the largest population of any country in the world, China isn't having enough babies.

That's the unspoken conclusion of a government plan, published Wednesday, which revealed that the relaxation of China's one-child-only policy has so far failed to boost the country's birth rate enough to avoid significant demographic challenges in the coming decades.

The easing of the one-child policy, which was amended in early 2016 to allow all Chinese families to have two children, helped push the number of births in the country to 17.86 million in 2016, an increase of 7.9 percent over 2015, according to state media reports citing China's National Health and Family Planning Commission. The figure was the highest since 2000.

Other data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics recorded a slightly higher figure of 18.46 million births in 2016.

Despite the increase, China's fertility rate remains below replacement level — at which a population naturally replenishes itself from one generation to the next — where it has languished for years, according to the National Population Development Plan 2016 - 2030, issued by China's State Council, the country's cabinet.

Despite state media trumpeting the increase as evidence of the two-child policy's success, the increase in births is lower than the figure of 20 million for which authorities had hoped — and even that figure would not have allowed the country to sidestep the demographic train rolling toward it.

The report released Wednesday warns that China faces a turning point over the next 15 years, particularly between 2021 and 2030. The aging of the population will accelerate, increasing pressure on social security and public services. At the same time, the working-age population will shrink, damaging economic growth and reducing the tax income required to support the elderly.

The report predicted that a quarter of China's population will be over 60 in 2030, compared with about 16 percent in 2015.

Conversely, the working-age population — those aged between 15-59 — will be 80 million fewer in 2030 than in 2015, according to a statement Wednesday from China's National Development and Reform Commission, cited by the Wall Street Journal.

The report predicts China's population will peak in 2030 at 1.45 billion. It stood at around 1.37 billion in 2015.

Experts suggest that China's demographic crisis is in part a legacy of its attempt at population control through the one-child policy.

"In traditional Chinese culture, more children meant more prosperity, so the traditional household would hope for more children, but the one-child policy has played a role in affecting that," said Jieyu Liu, deputy director of the China Institute at London's School of Oriental and African Studies.

"This recent change to the one-child policy is mostly affecting urban populations," she said. "Since the 1980s, rural households were allowed to have a second child if their first was not a son. I think that after 36 years under the one-child policy, a lot of urban couples have already adapted into this one-child culture."

People with whom NBC News spoke this week on the streets of the Chinese capital expressed concern about the challenges facing parents in China.

Liu Wei, a 27-year-old Beijing resident and mother of a 14-month-old girl, said she was hesitating over having another baby.

"Raising a child is very expensive," she said. "My daughter just had an ordinary cold and we have already spent about $1400 for several days of treatment."

"If the couple are both working, no one would be there to take care of the baby at home," said Wu Fan, 31.

The shop-owner added: "Another reason is expensive housing, especially in Beijing. I plan to have our baby this year, but whether I will want to have a second child I am not sure yet."

All those with whom NBC News spoke on the streets of Beijing this week cited finances as a major obstacle to either having either a first or a second child. Concerns about China's notorious air pollution were also raised.

Experts also told NBC News that low levels of parental leave — four months for women and two weeks to nothing at all for men — along with a lack of affordable child care have diminished parents' desire for a second child.

So, can China's ruling Communist Party fix the problem? Experts suggested the government will struggle to effect meaningful change.

"The bottom line is that this is a very hard area to have any impact on. It's mostly about public attitudes," Professor Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at London's King's College, told NBC News.

"Trying to have campaigns encouraging people to have bigger families, it's very limited what you can do," he said. "The economic constraints on people in China are very great. It'll probably have a very limited impact, whatever the government does. It's about creating the right mood music as it were."

Despite China's baby deficit, the country has resisted calls from some activists to abandon restrictions on the number of children families can have.

The government's population plan says the environmental carrying capacity, food and water supplies, energy production and the ability of medical and public services to cope would be stretched by too great an increase in population.

For the time being, however, such concerns remain hypothetical.

"The problem," Russell said, "is that many families are just not having many children — period."

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/c...ew-two-child-policy-fails-yield-major-n712536

 

[Godman]

"Raising a child is very expensive," she said. "My daughter just had an ordinary cold and we have already spent about $1400 for several days of treatment."

This is hard to believe

 

[Nan Yang]

Experts also told NBC News that low levels of parental leave — four months for women and

4 months of parental leave is LOW ?

 

[Star Expedition]

Too bad.
China will crash again very soon.

 

[shadows888]

Too bad.
China will crash again very soon.

Its been crashing for decades. So you guys can stop worrying about china because china is going to crash and USA going to reign #1 for all time.

 

[Brainsucker]

Why the decrease of population in a 1.3 billion people country like China is a problem? Despite it decrease, they still have more people than the United State + Europa Union + Japan ever has. For an over crowding countries like China and India, they should decrease the population, not increase it. I think a 1 billion population in China is healthier than the current number of population that they have.

So what the problem? As long as China doesn't infested with more and more hikikomori and otaku (who refuse to marry real women) like in Japan, there won't be any problem for their future work force.

 

[initial_d]

Why the decrease of population in a 1.3 billion people country like China is a problem? Despite it decrease, they still have more people than the United State + Europa Union + Japan ever has. For an over crowding countries like China and India, they should decrease the population, not increase it. I think a 1 billion population in China is healthier than the current number of population that they have.

So what the problem? As long as China doesn't infested with more and more hikikomori and otaku (who refuse to marry real women) like in Japan, there won't be any problem for their future work force.

I agree with you, i think future china population must be below 1 billion people

 

[艹艹艹]

I agree with you, i think future china population must be below 1 billion people

we plan to control the population in about 800 million or 700 million in the future.

 

[Daniel808]

After read news like this, I am very Glad.
That China wouldn't Follow Indian path (an Over Crowded Country with Poor people).

I don't mean to bashing about our Indian friends. But, honestly that's the truth what happen in India right now.

Personally, I think China's Efficient population is in the level 800 million - 1 Billion people.
It's still much Bigger Population than USA, Japan, Germany, Britain, French, Italy, Canada, Australia, South korea COMBINED.

Okay If, you still insist.
How about workforce? China's today, one of the Robot Industry Superpower.
With Technology advancement in a couple of Next Decades, many Robots in China will fill the gap.

Still not enough? China also can open the door, for Millions of Overseas Chinese Skilled Workforce across the globe to fill that gap.
Millions of Overseas Chinese Skilled workforce want to return to China If there is a chance, especially Overseas Chinese from Third-world countries.

Sorry, I just telling you the truth.

 

[Bussard Ramjet]

we plan to control the population in about 800 million or 700 million in the future.

And how many of those would be Han?

The minority population is hardly controlled, so this would mean that Han population would reduce to 70 or 80% of the total population.

After read news like this, I am very Glad.
That China wouldn't Follow Indian path (an Over Crowded Country with Poor people).

I don't mean to bashing about our Indian friends. But, honestly that's the truth what happen in India right now.

Personally, I think China's Efficient population is in the level 800 million - 1 Billion people.
It's still much Bigger Population than USA, Japan, Germany, Britain, French, Italy, Canada, Australia, South korea COMBINED.

Okay If, you still insist.
How about workforce? China's today, one of the Robot Industry Superpower.
With Technology advancement in a couple of Next Decades, many Robots in China will fill the gap.

Still not enough? China also can open the door, for Millions of Overseas Chinese Skilled Workforce across the globe to fill that gap.
Millions of Overseas Chinese Skilled workforce want to return to China If there is a chance, especially Overseas Chinese from Third-world countries.

Sorry, I just telling you the truth.

Countries like Japan, Switzerland, Netherlands are far more densely populated, yet they are constantly ranked about the best countries to live in.

The population has never been an issue. It is about infrastructure, facilities etc.

Why the decrease of population in a 1.3 billion people country like China is a problem? Despite it decrease, they still have more people than the United State + Europa Union + Japan ever has. For an over crowding countries like China and India, they should decrease the population, not increase it. I think a 1 billion population in China is healthier than the current number of population that they have.

So what the problem? As long as China doesn't infested with more and more hikikomori and otaku (who refuse to marry real women) like in Japan, there won't be any problem for their future work force.

This is a crap piece of advice. Mark my words!

China will soon regret it's population control tactics.