October 30, 2015

China lifts decades-old one-child policy

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Friday 30 Oct 2015 - 19:11 Makkah mean time-17-1-1437

(Image from the Huffington Post)

Beijing, (IINA) - China has abandoned on Thursday its one-child policy, lifting the ban on most couples for the first time in more than 30 years. Couples will now be allowed to have two children, Anadolu Agency reported citing Xinhua.
The news came from a communiqué issued by the Communist Party of China at the end of a four-day party gathering in Beijing.
China introduced the policy in the late 1970s to rein in population growth to overhaul the economy by limiting most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two. It also allowed the birth of a second child if the first child was a girl.
Late leader Deng Xiaoping considered the birth rate of almost three children per woman a drag on economic growth. A significant policy change at the end of 2013 allowed couples to have a second child if either parent was only one child.
In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby welcomed the announcement as a "positive step", but added, "We look forward to the day when birth limits are abandoned altogether".
AG/IINA

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