Surprised at the 15% drop in births… One to release all birth control restrictions

A poster recommending planned births in China in the 1980s. The slogan is written, “Let’s carry out full marriage and planned childbirth for the revolution.” [인터넷 캡처]

It is expected that the Chinese authorities will begin with the three Northeast provinces (Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang) on ​​a trial basis for the birth control policy. Last year, the number of births in China showed a sharp decline of about 15% compared to the previous year.

On the 18th, the National Hygiene and Health Committee, which oversees China’s population policy, said, “It is worth referencing” to the recommendation of the representative of the National People’s Congress (National Assembly), “Let’s take the lead in the northeast region to lift birth control.” The answer was released through the homepage. Accordingly, Chinese media reported that there is a possibility that the birth control restrictions will be completely abolished from the northeast region.

According to a report released by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security’s Family Register Management Research Center on the 8th, the number of births in 2020 was 1,035,000, down 14.9% from 11.79 million in 2019. This is the result of the impact of the spread of a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) in addition to the trend of avoiding childbirth on the burden of child support. Prior to the decline in the fertility rate, the’one-child policy’ in 2016 was released after 36 years, and even two children were allowed, but there was no effect.

In particular, the three poor Northeast provinces had a total fertility rate of only 0.55 in 2015 (the average number of births that a woman is expected to have a lifetime). In response, Wi Geon Committee responded on the 18th, saying, “The Northeast region has no choice but to move to a region with a better economic situation because of the overall causes such as economic system, industrial structure, and social policy. It was diagnosed as an important cause that determines the birth rate.

A document in response to the lifting of the childbirth restrictions policy released by the China National Hygiene and Health Commission on the 18th. [위건위 홈페이지 캡처]

The Wigeon Committee said, “We will study the impact of the full removal of the birth control restrictions based on the reality of the Northeast region. Based on these results, we will implement a full-scale birthing policy in the Northeast region.

In this regard, Doowei, a Chinese media outlet, analyzed on the 19th that “when the Tonghua city was blocked last January, it was due to the lack of population and finance that there was a serious confusion.” Tonghua City, which belongs to the representative Chinese version of the’Rust Belt’ (a declining industrial zone), suffered severe confusion as it was unable to supply daily necessities after the city was blocked by Corona 19.

However, it is pointed out that it is not known whether the effect of lifting the birth control restriction will be effective. Hong Kong Myungbo said, “In the case of Heilongjiang Province, the birth policy in the northeast region is already loose enough to allow a third child if both couples are residents of the border zone.” Pointed out.

Beijing = correspondent Shin Kyungjin [email protected]