China commissions research to end 'one-child' policy, decision could be made in 2019, says report

Hong Kong: China is considering ending the limit it sets on the number of children a family can have, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. [caption id=“attachment_2537752” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AFP[/caption] China’s population is ageing rapidly, with the number of births falling by 3.5 percent to 17.23 million last year despite the country’s decision in late 2015 to relax the controversial “one-child” policy and allow couples to have a second child. The State Council, or cabinet, has commissioned research on ending the country’s birth limits on a nationwide basis, the Bloomberg report said. A decision could be made in the last quarter of this year or in 2019, the report said. China implemented its one-child policy in the 1970s to limit population growth, but authorities are concerned that a dwindling workforce will not be able to support an increasingly ageing population. The one-child policy also contributed to a sharp gender imbalance, with 32.66 million more males than females at the end of 2017.