China Govt. Think Tank: Zap 1-Kid Policy

Group urges end to all birth limitations by 2020
By Liam Carnahan,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 31, 2012 11:09 AM CDT
China Govt. Think Tank: Zap 1-Kid Policy
A Chinese woman plays with her grandchild at the Ritan Park in Beijing Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. A government think tank says China should start phasing out its one-child policy immediately and allow two children for every family by 2015. It remains unclear whether Chinese leaders are ready to take...   (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

A Chinese government think tank is calling for an end to the unpopular one-child policy, a decades-old attempt to curb overpopulation in the nation, reports the AP. The China Development Research Foundation recommends a two-child policy for some regions now, with that plan going nationwide by 2015, followed by a drop of all child-limitation policies by 2020. It's a bold move for a group so close to China's leadership, but some say that the timeline isn't aggressive enough.

"China has paid a huge political and social cost for the policy, as it has resulted in social conflict, high administrative costs, and led indirectly to a long-term gender imbalance at birth," said Xinhua News Agency, which received an advance copy of the group's report. Some speculate that the policy's demise is impending as China is undergoing a rare transition in leadership. Current President Hu Jintao, however, has said that China would keep its policy until at least 2015. (More China stories.)

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