China is studying whether to relax its one-child policy to allow more couples to have two children, the official Xinhua News Agency has reported, citing the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Policymakers are considering a change that would allow a second baby if either parent was a sole child, according to Xinhua. Currently both parents must be only children to qualify for a second birth. No time frame for a decision was mentioned in the report.
China started its one-child policy in the late 1970s to alleviate poverty and cap population growth, imposing fines for violations. Government researchers last year called on the nation to ease the one-child policy as soon as possible to cope with an aging population and labor shortages.
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