China to continue with controversial one-child policy

BEIJING: China has dismissed reports that the country's new leadership may ease up on the controversial one-child policy, saying that it would continue adhering to the family planning measure.

China's family planning policy should be unswervingly adhered to, Wang Xia, Director of the national population and family planning committee, told a conference, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The policy should be a long-term one and its primary goal is to keep a low birth-rate in the world's most populous country, Wang said.

The authorities will expand pre-pregnancy check services to reach all county-level areas across the country and ensure migrants' equal access to related public services this year, according to Wang.

At present, such services are available in about 60 per cent of county-level areas, covering more than 80 per cent of the target population, he said.

Efforts should also be made to rectify the imbalance in gender ratio, she said adding that the birth rate in China was held at a low level in 2012.

China's population currently stands at over 1.3 billion. Wang's assertions were in contrast to an official study in October last year which called for Chinese new leadership to consider adjusting its family planning policy saying that it had caused structural problems and demographic crisis in the country.

Population is heading for negative growth and blamed one child policy for ultra-low fertility rate resulting in related problems of ageing population, gender imbalances, urbanisation, an expanding shortage of migrant workers the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF), an official think tank said in a report.