Top political advisors meet to discuss highquality population devt

The National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body, held a consultation session on Saturday to discuss the promotion of high-quality population development as a means to underpin Chinese modernization, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, attended the session and delivered remarks, according to Xinhua.

Emphasizing the importance of population matters for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation, he said the CPPCC should provide insight on major issues related to high-quality population development to facilitate Chinese modernization.

Nearly 100 CPPCC National Committee members joined the session.

Officials from the Committee of Population, Resources and Environment of the CPPCC National Committee were briefed on the research findings, while 23 political advisors and experts spoke.

Wang Peian, a member of the 13th CPPCC and former deputy director of National Health and Family Planning Commission, told the Global Times that population development has always been a fundamental, comprehensive, long-term, and strategic issue related to economic and social development.

In the context of negative population growth, great importance needs to be attached to two major risks and challenges that affect the balanced development of the population – low fertility levels and rapid aging, he said.

“The optimization of population policy, the implementation of fertility support measures, and the promulgation of relevant laws and regulations should all be closely aligned with the overall requirement of high-quality population development in the current and future periods,” Wang Peian told the Global Times.