China News Service, Beijing, July 21st, title: China draws a "road map" for optimizing fertility policies, opening a new stage of population development
China News Agency reporter Li Chun Huang Yuqin
Chinese officials recently announced the "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Optimizing Fertility Policies to Promote Long-term and Balanced Population Development," and made a major decision to implement the three-child policy and supporting measures.
Experts here said that the "Decision" drew a "timetable" and "road map" for promoting the long-term balanced development of the population, more clearly defined the expected goal of optimizing the fertility policy, and ushered in a new stage of China's population development.
The population issue is the "big one in the country."
China adheres to the comprehensive decision-making on population and development, based on the basic national conditions of the population, and constantly improves the birth policy.
But on the other hand, the demographic situation has also undergone new changes in recent years, and certain difficulties have been encountered in terms of fertility levels, fertility, parenting, and education costs.
Some people believe that it is imminent to gradually improve the fertility policy based on the changing situation of population development.
The official has fully understood this.
The Fifth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to implement a national strategy to actively respond to the aging of the population.
The outline of the "14th Five-Year Plan" requires "to formulate a long-term population development strategy and optimize the fertility policy."
On May 31 this year, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee convened a meeting to clearly propose the implementation of the policy and supporting measures for a couple to have three children.
In this context, the "Decision" came into being.
At an official press conference in China on July 21, Yu Xuejun, deputy director of the National Health Commission, said that the "Decision" is to stand at the strategic height of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, based on the new development stage, implement the new development concept, and build The new development pattern, scientifically grasp the laws of population development, and take into account the major decisions made by multiple policy goals.
"This is not only a childbirth policy, but also a comprehensive policy for economic and social development and ensuring and improving people's livelihood." Yu Xuejun said.
Outsiders have noticed that this "grand policy" clearly takes 2025 and 2035 as the nodes, and puts forward the main goals of optimizing the fertility policy and promoting the long-term balanced development of the population.
Lu Jiehua, a professor in the Department of Sociology at Peking University, told a reporter from China News Agency that, unlike the previous adjustments to the fertility policy, drawing a "timetable" and "road map" is an important highlight of this optimization of fertility policies. The expected goals of ".
To achieve this goal, we naturally need to take on the important task of improving the population structure and alleviating the problem of population aging.
Song Jian, a professor at the School of Social and Population Studies at Renmin University of China, pointed out that the aging problem will not change much in the short term, but population development "has always been an issue that cannot be anxious."
The effects of the three-child birth policy should be viewed from a mid- to long-term perspective. If the population structure is improved by optimizing the birth policy and promoting the realization of an appropriate birth rate from now on, the future population aging will be relieved.
Official data show that since 2018, the number of births in China has declined for three consecutive years.
The just-concluded seventh national census shows that China’s birth population will drop to 12 million in 2020, and the total fertility rate will be 1.3.
According to information released by the National Health Commission, according to the monitoring of births in the first half of 2021, China's birth population and fertility levels will still show a downward trend this year.
"If the three-child policy and supporting measures are not implemented, China's fertility level may continue to decline or accelerate decline." Lu Jiehua analyzed that the three-child fertility policy is very important to alleviate the rapid decline in the fertility level in order to promote High-quality development in the future will bring more space.
On the other hand, even if the birth population has declined, China, with 1.41 billion people, is still the world's most populous country.
Wang Peian, secretary of the party group and executive vice chairman of the China Family Planning Association, believes that China's population of 1 billion has huge consumption potential and market capacity.
The implementation of the three-child policy and supporting measures can increase the number of births and improve the age structure of the population.
Whether it is labor stock or increase, it will help maintain the advantage of human resource endowment.
It is worth noting that although the fertility policy is gradually being relaxed, the three-child fertility policy is still within the scope of the family planning policy.
The analysis pointed out that the basic national conditions of China's large population will not change for a period of time, the population and the carrying capacity of resources and the environment will still be in a tight balance, and the population and development contradictions in poverty-stricken areas and some ecologically fragile and resource-poor areas will still be more prominent.
"It is conducive to consolidating the achievements of building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way, and promoting the harmonious coexistence of man and nature." This is also one of the great significance of China's current round of optimizing the birth policy and promoting the long-term balanced development of the population.
Song Jian told a reporter from China News Agency that at present, China's economy has turned to a stage of high-quality development, and absolute poverty has been eliminated.
"Whether it is a change in the demographic situation or a new stage of China's economic development, it is appropriate for us to introduce such a fertility policy now because it is an escort for the future." (End)