Three-child policy

{{See also|Family planning policies of China|Aging of China}}

File:China single age population pyramid 2020.png

Beginning in 1979, China implemented the one-child policy, which stipulated that a couple could only have one child, resulting in a declining new population and a rapidly aging society. In order to slow down the trend of population aging, in 2015, the CCP officially launched the two-child policy, which relaxed the birth restrictions. However, the policy did not result in the expected wave of births, and the pregnancy rate among young women continued to decline, experiencing a third consecutive year of decrease.{{Cite news|last1=Wee|first1=Sui-Lee|last2=Myers|first2=Steven Lee|date=2020-01-17|title=China's Birthrate Hits Historic Low, in Looming Crisis for Beijing|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/business/china-birth-rate-2019.html|access-date=2021-06-01|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=2021-11-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104063924/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/16/business/china-birth-rate-2019.html|url-status=live}} In this regard, during the 2020 National People's Congress (NPC) session, NPC deputy Huang Xihua suggested removing the penalty policy for having more than three children.{{Cite web|title=全国人大代表黄细花：建议取消生育限制，取消生三孩以上处罚|url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_7549229|access-date=2021-06-01|website=澎湃新闻|archive-date=2021-06-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603023840/https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_7549229|url-status=live}} Previously, the fine, called a "social upbringing fee" or "social maintenance fee", was the punishment for the families having more than one child. According to the policy, the families violating the law brought the burden to the whole society. Therefore, the social maintenance fee was used for the operation of local governments.{{Cite journal |last1=Jiang |first1=Quanbao |last2=Liu |first2=Yixiao |date=2016 |title=Low fertility and concurrent birth control policy in China |journal=The History of the Family |language=en |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=551–577 |doi=10.1080/1081602X.2016.1213179 |s2cid=157905310 |issn=1081-602X|doi-access=free }}

According to Reuters, as of late 2020, people were being fined 130,000 yuan ($20,440) for having a third child.{{Cite web |last1=Stanway |first1=David |last2=Munroe |first2=Tony |date=June 1, 2021 |title=Three-child policy: China lifts cap on births in major policy shift |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-each-couple-can-have-three-children-change-policy-2021-05-31/ |access-date=March 16, 2024 |website=Reuters |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107073252/https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-each-couple-can-have-three-children-change-policy-2021-05-31/ |url-status=live }}

Although the CCP government had high expectations for the new policy,{{Cite web |date=July 20, 2021 |title=China releases decision on third-child policy, supporting measures |url=https://english.www.gov.cn/policies/latestreleases/202107/20/content_WS60f6c308c6d0df57f98dd491.html |access-date=March 16, 2024 |website=The State Council of the People's Republic of China |archive-date=March 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316212348/https://english.www.gov.cn/policies/latestreleases/202107/20/content_WS60f6c308c6d0df57f98dd491.html |url-status=live }} in a 2021 online poll conducted by the official state news agency Xinhua on its Weibo account, using the hashtag #AreYouReady for the new three-child policy, about 29,000 out of 31,000 respondents stated they would "never consider it."

Moody's, a bond credit rating agency, said the new three-child policy is unlikely to boost birthrate and the aging will remain a credit-negative constraint for China.{{Cite web |date=June 6, 2021 |title=China's three-child policy unlikely to boost birthrate – Moody's |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-three-child-policy-may-not-change-national-birthrate-moodys-2021-06-07/ |access-date=March 16, 2024 |website=Reuters |archive-date=October 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024115504/http://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-three-child-policy-may-not-change-national-birthrate-moodys-2021-06-07/ |url-status=live }} A January 2022 study suggested allowing a third child would not significantly boost fertility in the short term.{{Cite journal |last=Attané |first=Isabelle |date=January 2022 |title=China's new three-child policy: What effects can we expect? |url=https://www.cairn-int.info/journal-population-and-societies-2022-1-page-1.htm?contenu=article |access-date=7 December 2022 |journal=Population Societies |volume=596 |issue=1 |pages=1–4 |archive-date=7 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207195502/https://www.cairn-int.info/journal-population-and-societies-2022-1-page-1.htm?contenu=article |url-status=live }}

In January 2023, the government of Sichuan Province announced that it had abolished the three-child policy completely, allowing parents in Sichuan to legally have as many children as they want.{{cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Megan |title=Sichuan: Couples in Chinese province allowed to have unlimited children |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64457367 |access-date=29 October 2023 |publisher=BBC |date=30 January 2023 |archive-date=22 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822125241/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-64457367 |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |date=2023-02-02 |title=Why One of China's Largest Provinces Is Lifting Birth Limits—Even for Unmarried Parents |url=https://time.com/6252262/china-sichuan-unmarried-people-children/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |magazine=TIME |language=en |archive-date=2024-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316215156/https://time.com/6252262/china-sichuan-unmarried-people-children/ |url-status=live }}

According to report, the data released in October 2023 by China's National Health Commission show that 15% of the 9.56 million newborns in 2022 were a family's third child, up only 0.5% from 2021.{{Cite web |last=Feng |first=Jenny |date=2023-10-17 |title=China's three-child policy isn't leading to a surge in births, data shows |url=https://thechinaproject.com/2023/10/17/chinas-three-child-policy-isnt-leading-to-surge-in-births-data-shows/ |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=The China Project |language=en-US |archive-date=2024-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316213834/https://thechinaproject.com/2023/10/17/chinas-three-child-policy-isnt-leading-to-surge-in-births-data-shows/ |url-status=live }}

{{Portal|China}}

• One-child policy
• Population history of China
• Tax on childlessness
• Two-child policy
• Aging of China

{{reflist}}

{{Family planning policies of China}}

Category:2021 introductions

Category:2021 establishments in China

Category:Birth control law

Category:Demographics of China

Category:Human overpopulation

Category:One-child policy

Category:Population ecology