This is an important moment in Chinese society evolution. With the ongoing meeting of the Chinese leaders in Beijing, some important shifts in the Chinese policy are being announced. One of the most imporant announcment is the change that is occuring regarding the one-child policy.
This is the content of an official document that has been released after the meeting and this means the content is official and important.
If at least one member of a couple is a single-child, then this couple will be allowed to have two children. This is a major announcement is designed to ensure a smoth long term development to China. Until now, it was possible to have two chidren on the condition that both the members of the couple are single child.
This is indeed a serious shift in the one child policy, a policy that was decided back in 1979 to monitor the Chinese demographic growth. It was decided as well to ensure that Chinese citizens would see improvment in their living standards and the result of the policy allowed the state to focus more on the economic growth of the country. Family planning was decisive but considered as less important compared with economic planning. There was several modifications to the policy over the years, especially in the countryside, many couples were allowed to have two children. This policy has led to some frustration, many couples wishing to have more kids felt the the law was kind of brutal and wished it to become less strict. This measure is a long term policy decision, since the retirement system will be put under heavy stress with Chinese aging demographics. By 2035, between two and two Chinese people will have to take care of an elder person, this might become a problem for the whole Chinese economy, with the formula that China might get old before it gets rich. China want a population in the futire with more active people as a geneal sign of dynamism, and the economic growth has made certain that food shortage is impossible in the country. All these reasons make that the new decision of less control on couple willing to have children is welcome by the whole population and a wish of the leaders. This mea,s as well that the Chinese society is becoming a more open society with more choice for individuals. Related with this on re blog, this might as well have some impact on the real estate market.
