Beijing, China, Aug 31, 2018 / 13:30 pm
An official Chinese state media outlet has denied any imminent change to the country's national two-child policy. The announcement follows media speculation that such a change was being considered in response to China's rapidly aging population.
On Aug. 27, family-planning related clauses were removed from China's marriage and adoption laws leading many major media outlets to report that this could signal an upcoming change for the two-child policy.
Chinese authorities responded on Aug. 28 with two explanatory articles in the "China Daily," the state-sponsored English-language newspaper, which provided explanations from legislators that these "family planning-related clauses" were only removed to eliminate redundancy; the Population and Family Planning Law that stipulates that couples can have only two children still remains on the books.
China has strictly controlled its population for nearly four decades through a government policy of contraception, abortion, and sterilization.