Demographic Optimization

China’s family planning policy has fulfilled its historic purpose of curbing population growth. In order to optimize the nation’s demographic structure, therefore, the Chinese Government implemented a twochild policy at the beginning of last year, which permits any couple to have two children.

In fact, this was not the first time the family planning policy has been relaxed. Previously, it was first loosened to allow parents to have a second child if they were both only children. It was then further eased in 2013, when a decision was made to allow couples to have two children if one of them was an only child.

The family planning policy was adopted during the 1970s against the backdrop of a high birth rate. In 1950, China had a total population of no more than 500 million, according to official estimates. In 1970, however, the figure reached 850 million, marking a staggering increase of 350 million people in just 20 years. Furthermore, the number climbed to 950 million in 1975, adding another 100 million people in only five years. If such a trend had continued, the explosive population growth would have hindered China’s economic and social development. Under such circumstances, the Chinese Government devised a policy that restricted most urban couples to one child and most rural couples to two children if their first-born child was female. Couples from ethnic minorities whose population numbered less than 10 million were allowed to have two or even three children.

By virtue of the policy, China’s annual birth rate dropped from 33.4 per thousand in 1970 to 12.95 per thousand in 2016. Overall, the family planning policy has effectively controlled China’s population growth. Without the policy, it’s hard to imagine how the nation could have accommodated the huge population resulting from exponential growth.

Nonetheless, the policy has also led to demographic imbalance. China now finds itself in the situation of having an aging population and, therefore, faces the risk of a shortage of labor before it achieves full prosperity. As the working-age population decreases, the demographic dividend is disappearing. The population policy was adjusted in order to achieve a more balanced demographic structure. But instead of abolishing the family planning policy altogether, the government has adjusted it on the basis of controlling China’s total population.

Some may still find fault with the government for not having fully relinquished the family planning policy. The policy’s development in recent years, however, is the best way for China to balance its people and resources.