China’s State Council issued a document on birth encouragement in late July, proposing measures to encourage people to have a third child.
The document is a response to the Politburo’s May resolution to lift the restriction on families having a third child. The policies include abolishing fines and punishments for having more children than allowed, improving the population service system all over the country, improving medical services related to children and seniors, increasing the number of kindergartens and regulating the use of assisted reproductive technologies.
The document also pledged to roll out preferential taxation and housing policies for households with children, promote equal education and fair resource distribution and ensure provision of maternity leave while reducing gender discrimination at work.
At a press conference, an official from China’s National Health Commission told media that the new rule does not mean the abolition of family planning, and the government is working to achieve balanced population development in the long run.
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