China: 1 child norm to continue despite demographic challenges

Despite the looming challenges of a skewed demography presented by over three decades of enforced one-child norm, China has no plans to change its family planning policy, a top official has said.

Dismissing concerns over the fact that the world's most populous country would be saddled with over 440 million old people in the next four decades, Li Bin, director of State Population and Family Planning Commission said, keeping reproduction rate low would still be a policy priority.

China will adhere to its family planning policy so as to maintain a low reproduction rate, Li said in an interview with official Xinhua news agency.

"Over-population remains one of the major challenges to social and economic development," he said, adding that the population of China will hit 1.45 billion in 2020 from the current 1.34 billion.

Li said maintaining and improving the existing family planning policy and keeping a low reproduction rate, along with addressing the issues of gender imbalance and an aging population, will be the major tasks in the future.

China's family planning policies might have helped contain its rapid rise in population but experts have warned that this has skewed the demographics, leaving the country with a growing older population.

Besides, preference of a male child has also led to a skewed sex ratio.

Li's words came just one day before October 31, the day on which the United Nations estimates the world's population will reach seven billion.

In 2010, there were 118 boys for every 100 girls born in China, while over 13 per cent of the country's population is aged 60 or above.