China has decided to end its
decades-long one-child policy, Xinhua news agency reports.
All couples will now be allowed to
have two children, the state-run news agency said, citing a statement from the
Communist Party.
The controversial policy was
introduced nationally in 1979, to reduce the country's birth rate and slow the
population growth rate.
However, concerns at China's ageing
population led to pressure for change.
The one-child policy is estimated to
have prevented about 400m births since it began.
Couples who violated the policy
faced a variety of punishments, from fines and the loss of employment to forced
abortions.
Over time, the policy was relaxed in
some provinces, as demographers and sociologists raised concerns about rising
social costs and falling worker numbers.
The Communist Party began formally
relaxing national rules two years ago, allowing couples in which at least one
of the pair is an only child to have a second child.
The announcement comes on the final
day of a summit of the Chinese Communist Party's policy-making Central
Committee, known as the fifth plenum.
The party is also set to announce
growth targets and its next five year plan.
Source:BBC
Comments