Leaked draft documents reveal China plans to force civil servants and government officials to have more children
Developed countries around the world are experiencing a steady decline in birth rates, with a report this week from consultancy KPMG revealing Australia is experiencing a “fertility recession”.
In 2023, the total number of births fell by 13,000 to 289,100, equivalent to just 1.6 children per woman. The number needed to sustain the population is 2.1.
Sydney performed worst, with deliveries down 8.6 per cent.
Only the nation's capital, Canberra, bucks this trend.
It's a feat Beijing hopes to emulate, with a bureaucratically driven surge in birth rates.
The country's current fertility rate is approximately 1.45 children per woman.
But China is still on a much faster pace of population decline than Australia.
The population has started to decline.
As citizens age, the labor force shrinks.
This means that social, economic and military ambitions are under increasing pressure.
It's something the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) realized it had to address in 2015 after scrapping its long-standing one-child policy.
But since then, the country's birth rate has been steadily declining.
Now, a leaked draft document circulating on Chinese social media details plans to “organize and implement” President Xi Jinping’s “three children” policy in 2021 among party officials and municipal workers.
The document says one of the “important tasks and measures” is the need for civil servants at all levels to lead by example.
“Party members and leaders at all levels of government departments, state-owned enterprises and public institutions should take the lead in enforcing the Three Sons principle,” China's Sina news agency reported.
“This has raised public concerns about ‘forced and disguised’ births,”
Public service child production factory
The Quanzhou Municipal Health Commission confirmed to Sina that the document was authentic, blaming “negligence” by officials for releasing it ahead of schedule.
“The relevant departments of Quanzhou City may later release the matter according to the situation,” the statement added.
Quanzhou is located in the southeastern corner of Fujian Province, opposite Taiwan.
It is one of the most prosperous regions in China.
According to Sina, the province's population of 8.9 million people will increase by 4,000 in 2023.
“The document lists three main areas of work,” Sina said in a report.
“First, organize and implement the three-child policy.
Second, abolish fertility restrictions, including abolishing social care fees, and improving policy documents and social restrictions that are not appropriate for the population development situation.
“Thirdly, improve the population service system, improve the overall solution for ‘the elderly and the young’, and establish and improve the population service system that covers the whole life cycle.”
But there is a fourth element that has captured the public's attention.
“In the section ‘Organizing and Implementing the Three Sons Policy’, the mention of party members and leaders in implementing the Three Sons Policy has made some netizens feel uncomfortable,” Sina’s report said.
“Some people are worried that it will become a forced birth of three children.”
Quanzhou is not the only city in China considering a three-child law
Jiemian Financial News reported that Xiangtan District in Xiangtan City, Hunan Province has already taken similar actions.
“We call on Party members and leaders to publicize and guide, take the lead in implementing and consciously implementing the country’s sound fertility policy, and make positive contributions to promoting the balanced development of the population in the long run,” the Xiangtan District Party Administration announced in November last year.
The fight for fertility
Beijing, like Canberra, is struggling to understand the underlying causes of the recession.
Housing costs, the cost of living, excessive overtime work, and a lack of accessible childcare are the most common complaints of struggling families.
But President Xi Jinping seems to feel that there is something wrong with his women.
In November last year, President Xi Jinping told a meeting of the All-China Women's Federation that “we need to earnestly cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbirth” as a necessary contribution to the “rejuvenation” of his country.
“We need to guide women to play their own roles in carrying forward China's traditional morality, building a good family tradition and building a new family civilization,” Xi said.
“Raising children to grow up and become a strong and complete society requires a close-knit family, good education, and proper family traditions.”
As a result, last year the party ordered government family planning officials to “intervene” and reduce the number of abortions among teenagers. Now they must campaign for “respecting the social value of childbirth, supporting age-appropriate marriage and childbearing, and proper child-rearing and upbringing.”
“The culture of marriage and childbirth shall be incorporated into village regulations, and contents that are inconsistent with these regulations shall be corrected,” the family planning order added.
Chinese news agency Jiemian/Sina News was frank in stating that the negative reactions to the Quanzhou plan on social media were not uncommon, with a reference to the leaked document saying that it “indirectly alludes to forcing people to have three children.”
“Those who don’t comply, ‘forget about promotions or getting rich,’” said another critic.
RFA's Mandarin service reported concerns about the financial burden facing lower-ranking CCP members and government officials.
“It reminds me of what happened to many of my classmates… who are now a married couple with four elderly parents and two children who have to pay off debts, raise children, and take care of their elderly parents’ medical care and health issues,” one blogger wrote.
Quality control
China's 205-member Central Committee, which is responsible for setting national policies, held its third plenary session (the annual five-year plenary session) under the chairmanship of Xi Jinping earlier this month.
“A proper system will be established to provide lifelong population services to all people to promote high-quality population development. China will improve the policy system and incentive mechanisms to increase the birth rate and strive to build a child-friendly society,” Xinhua reported, citing the legislative meeting as the decision.
And a “high-quality population” may be behind the Chinese Communist Party’s latest push to increase prenatal genetic testing.
“China continues to make efforts to improve its comprehensive prevention and treatment capabilities for congenital abnormalities, with the national infant mortality rate and under-five mortality rate due to congenital abnormalities falling by more than 30 percent compared with five years ago,” the ruling Communist Party of China said. Global Times An editorial published earlier this month said:
China's 1994 Maternal and Child Health Care Law instructs doctors to forbid marriages for people with mental illnesses or serious illnesses. In cases of genetic problems, couples must agree to long-term contraception or sterilization.
The law also states that if prenatal tests reveal a disease or abnormality, an abortion should be performed.
This has led some members of the community to become suspicious and eyeing a new government-backed fertility treatment program that includes egg storage.
But fertility intervention programs aren't the only thing Beijing is considering.
“Discussions on issues such as childcare subsidies, housing purchase discounts and holiday care have been held from time to time,” Sina reported.
It also said the party is considering a range of options, “including a more comprehensive policy and regulatory system to promote long-term balanced population development, better service management, moderate fertility rates, improved population structure, better childbirth and child-rearing, early childhood education services that meet people’s needs for a better life, significantly improved family development capabilities, and significant progress in the all-round development of the people.”
Monday Global Times The article states that work is currently underway to establish a “support system for childbearing and childrearing.”
Progress made so far includes “a number of policies being implemented in localities across the country, including extending maternity leave to 158 days or more, increasing maternity and childcare allowances, and providing more affordable and professional childcare services in childcare facilities,” the report added.
Jamie Seidel is a freelance writer | @JamieSeidel
