Editing One-child policy (section)

===Abolition===
{{see also|Two-child policy#China}}
In October 2015, the Chinese news agency [[Xinhua]]<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Shen |first=Xinhua |title=UQ eSpace |date=2018 |publisher=University of Queensland Library |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.14264/c2861a6 |doi=10.14264/c2861a6}}</ref> announced the government's plans to abolish the one-child policy, now allowing all families to have [[Two-child policy in China|two children]], citing a communiqué issued by the CCP "to improve the balanced development of population"{{spaced ndash}}an apparent reference to the country's female-to-male [[human sex ratio|sex ratio]]{{spaced ndash}}and to deal with an aging population.<ref name="cbc.ca">{{Citation |title=Five things to know about China's one-child policy |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/5-things-to-know-about-china-s-1-child-policy-1.3294335 |access-date=31 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031115825/http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/5-things-to-know-about-china-s-1-child-policy-1.3294335 |url-status=live |place=[[Canada]] |publisher=[[CBC News]] |archive-date=31 October 2015}}</ref><ref>News coverage:
* {{cite news |date=29 October 2015 |title=China to end one-child policy and allow two |newspaper=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34665539 |url-status=live |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528124652/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34665539 |archive-date=28 May 2018}}
* {{Cite web |date=29 October 2015 |title=China to allow two children for all couples |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-10/29/c_134763507.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031173313/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-10/29/c_134763507.htm |archive-date=31 October 2015 |access-date=29 October 2015 |publisher=[[Xinhua News Agency|Xinhua]]}}
* {{cite news |last1=Phillips |first1=Tom |date=29 October 2015 |title=China ends one-child policy after 35 years |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/29/china-abandons-one-child-policy |url-status=live |access-date=17 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201021629/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/29/china-abandons-one-child-policy |archive-date=1 December 2016}}
* {{cite news |last1=Sudworth |first1=John |date=30 October 2015 |title=The 'model' example of China's one child policy |newspaper=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-34664442 |url-status=live |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180716032138/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-34664442 |archive-date=16 July 2018}}</ref> The new law took effect on 1 January 2016 after it was passed in the [[Standing Committee of the National People's Congress]] on 27 December 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 December 2015 |title=Top legislature amends law to allow all couples to have two children |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-12/27/c_134955448.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010151510/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-12/27/c_134955448.htm |archive-date=10 October 2017 |access-date=27 December 2015 |publisher=[[Xinhua News Agency]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=27 December 2015 |title=China formally abolishes decades-old one-child policy |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/china-formally-abolishes-decades-old-one-child-policy-1535006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190828224908/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/china-formally-abolishes-decades-old-one-child-policy-1535006 |archive-date=28 August 2019 |access-date=27 December 2015 |website=[[International Business Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=27 December 2015 |title=China officially ends one-child policy, signing into law bill allowing married couples to have two children |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-27/chinas-one-child-policy-officially-scrapped/7055834 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227234443/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-27/chinas-one-child-policy-officially-scrapped/7055834 |archive-date=27 February 2019 |access-date=29 December 2019 |publisher=[[ABC Online]]}}</ref>

The rationale for the abolition was summarized by former ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' reporter [[Mei Fong]]: "The reason China is doing this right now is because they have too many men, too many old people, and too few young people. They have this huge crushing demographic crisis as a result of the one-child policy. And if people don't start having more children, they're going to have a vastly diminished workforce to support a huge aging population."<ref>{{Citation |last=Fong |first=Mei |title=China one-child policy |date=15 October 2015 |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/151030-china-one-child-policy-mei-fong/ |work=National Geographic |access-date=31 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031140836/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/10/151030-china-one-child-policy-mei-fong/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 October 2015 |author-link=Mei Fong}}</ref> China's ratio is about five working adults to one retiree; the huge retiree community must be supported, and that will dampen future growth, according to Fong.
Since the citizens of China are living longer and having fewer children, the growth of the population imbalance is expected to continue. A [[United Nations]] projection forecast that "China will lose 67{{nbsp}}million working-age people by 2030, while simultaneously doubling the number of elderly. That could put immense pressure on the economy and government resources."<ref name="cbc.ca" /> The longer-term outlook is also pessimistic, based on an estimate by the [[Chinese Academy of Social Sciences]], revealed by Cai Fang, deputy director. "By 2050, one-third of the country will be aged 60 years or older, and there will be fewer workers supporting each retired person."<ref name="chinadaily.com.cn">{{Citation |title=China daily |date=Dec 2014 |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-12/16/content_19093408.htm |access-date=1 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927031359/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-12/16/content_19093408.htm |url-status=live |archive-date=27 September 2015}}</ref>

Although many critics of China's reproductive restrictions approved of the policy's abolition, [[Amnesty International]] said that the move to the two-child policy would not end [[forced sterilizations]], [[forced abortion]]s, or government control over birth permits.<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[Agence France-Presse]] |date=29 October 2015 |title=China ends one-child policy — but critics warn new two-child policy won't end forced abortions |url=http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/china-ends-one-child-policy-but-critics-warn-new-two-child-policy-wont-end-forced-abortions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030152646/http://www.rawstory.com/2015/10/china-ends-one-child-policy-but-critics-warn-new-two-child-policy-wont-end-forced-abortions/ |archive-date=30 October 2015 |access-date=29 October 2015 |website=[[The Raw Story]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 October 2015 |title=China: Reform of one-child policy not enough |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/10/china-one-child-reform/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040039/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/10/china-one-child-reform/ |archive-date=1 December 2017 |access-date=30 November 2017 |website=www.amnesty.org}}</ref> Others had also stated that the abolition was not a sign of the relaxation of authoritarian control in China. A reporter for [[CNN]] said, "It was not a sign that the party will suddenly start respecting personal freedoms more than it has in the past. No, this is a case of the party adjusting policy to conditions. [...] The new policy, raising the limit to two children per couple, preserves the state's role."<ref name="cnn.com">{{Citation |last=Ghitis |title=China: one-child policy |date=29 October 2015 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/opinions/ghitis-china-one-child-policy/ |access-date=1 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151102031758/http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/29/opinions/ghitis-china-one-child-policy |url-status=live |publisher=CNN |archive-date=2 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 November 2015 |title=China's one-child calamity |url=http://www.ejinsight.com/20151105-china-one-child-calamity/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106090308/http://www.ejinsight.com/20151105-china-one-child-calamity/ |archive-date=6 November 2015 |access-date=6 November 2015}}</ref>

The abolition having a significant benefit was uncertain, as a [[CBC News]] analysis indicated: "Repealing the one-child policy may not spur a huge baby boom, however, in part because fertility rates are believed to be declining even without the policy's enforcement. Previous easings of the one-child policy have spurred fewer births than expected, and many people among China's younger generations see smaller family sizes as ideal."<ref name="cbc.ca" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 October 2021 |title=Ending the One-Child Policy in China Shows Continued Imbalance |url=https://www.borgenmagazine.com/one-child-policy/ |access-date=13 April 2022 |website=BORGEN}}</ref> The CNN reporter added that China's new prosperity was also a factor in the declining<ref name="chinadaily.com.cn" /> birth rate, saying, "Couples naturally decide to have fewer children as they move from the fields into the cities, become more educated, and when women establish careers outside the home."<ref name="cnn.com" />

The Chinese government had expected the abolition of the one-child rule would lead to an increase in births to about 21.9 million births in 2018. The actual number of births was 15.2 million – the lowest birth rate since 1961.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leng |first=Sidney |date=21 January 2019 |title=China's birth rate falls again, with 2018 producing the fewest babies since 1961, official data shows |url=https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2182963/chinas-birth-rate-falls-again-2018-producing-fewest-babies |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121205337/https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/2182963/chinas-birth-rate-falls-again-2018-producing-fewest-babies |archive-date=21 January 2019 |access-date=22 January 2019 |website=South China Morning Post}}</ref>

On 31 May 2021, China's government relaxed restrictions even more, allowing women up to three children.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 May 2021 |title=China allows couples to have three children |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57303592 |access-date=31 May 2021 |publisher=BBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hesketh |first1=T |last2=Zhu |first2=SX |date=1997 |title=The one-child family policy: the good, the bad, and the ugly |journal=[[BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.)]] |volume=314 |issue=7095 |pages=1685–7 |doi=10.1136/bmj.314.7095.1685 |pmc=2126838 |pmid=9193296}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Greenhalgh |first=Susan |date=2001 |title=Fresh Winds in Beijing: Chinese Feminists Speak Out on the One-child Policy and Women's Lives. |journal=Signs |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=847–886 |doi=10.1086/495630 |jstor=3175541 |pmid=17607875 |s2cid=45095877}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Lauster |first1=Nathaneal |title=The End of Children? Changing Trends in Childbearing and Childhood |last2=Allen |first2=Graham |date=2011 |publisher=UBC Press |page=1980}}</ref> This change was brought about mainly due to the declining birth rate and population growth. Although the Chinese government was trying to spark new growth in the population, some experts did not think it would be enough.<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 May 2021 |title=China Says It Will Allow Couples to Have 3 Children, Up From 2 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/31/world/asia/china-three-child-policy.html |access-date=31 May 2021}}</ref> Many called for the government to remove the limit altogether, though most women and couples already had adopted the idea that one child is enough and to have more is not in their best interest. Because of this new belief, the population would be likely to keep declining, which could have tragic repercussions for China in the coming decades.

All restrictions were lifted on 26 July 2021, thus allowing Chinese couples to have any number of children.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cheng |first=Evelyn |date=21 July 2021 |title=China scraps fines, will let families have as many children as they'd like |work=[[CNBC]] |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/21/china-scraps-fines-for-families-violating-childbirth-limits.html |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> In 2022, the number of births in China hit another record low of 9.56 million births,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-13 |title=Births in China slide 10% to hit their lowest on record |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-birthrate-lowest-record-rcna120257 |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> the first time the number had dipped below 10 million since the late 1940s according to [[China Daily]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=陈子琰 |title=Increase seen in births of second, third children |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202310/13/WS65287b44a31090682a5e83c1.html |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=www.chinadaily.com.cn}}</ref>  9.02 million births took place in 2023.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Qi |first=Liyan |date=17 January 2024 |title=China's Population Decline Accelerates as Women Resist Pressure to Have Babies |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/china/chinas-population-decline-accelerated-last-year-a5096672# |access-date=25 July 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Peng |first=Xiujian |date=2024-01-18 |title=China's population shrinks again and could more than halve – here's what that means |url=http://theconversation.com/chinas-population-shrinks-again-and-could-more-than-halve-heres-what-that-means-220667 |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=The Conversation |language=en-US}}</ref> Falling numbers of women of childbearing age and reluctance of young women to have children had reduced the China's fertility rate to close to 1.0 by 2024 (a fertility rate of 2.1 is needed for a stable population).<ref>{{Cite news |last=Qi |first=Lyan |date=12 February 2024 |title=How China Miscalculated Its Way to a Baby Bust |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/china/china-population-births-economy-one-child-c5b95901# |access-date=25 July 2024 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>  A study by the [[Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences]] and [[Victoria University (Australia)|Victoria University]], Melbourne, Australia forecast China's population would be 525 million in 2100 compared to 1.4 billion in 2024.<ref name=":5" /> In September 2024 China announced the retirement age would be raised as from January 2025 as there were too few young people and a growing senior population.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ng |first=Kelly |date=2024-09-13 |title=China to raise retirement age for first time since 1950s |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62421le4j6o |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>