China’s birth control policy, put into practice in the 1970s, has eased the great tension between the country’s limited resources and growing population. In 2002, China announced its first Law on Population and Family Planning, upgrading the measure from a government policy to a national law.

　　After some 20 years of birth control, the country’s population is now entering a stage characterized by low fertility, death and growth rates. Meanwhile, some of those who can afford it are considering having a second or even a third baby. This led to the emergence of some public sentiment that it is time for the government to relax or even change the one-child policy.

　　China has succeeded in controlling overpopulation, but blind optimism based on this success is not wise. The country still has the world’s largest population, making up one fourth of the world’s total. And the imbalanced population composition is worth more attention than the so-called “low birth rate.”

　　Rural and urban areas are seriously imbalanced in terms of birth control. While most urban residents are dedicated to the one-child policy, it is still quite common in rural areas for a couple to have three or four children. In spite of the overall low levels, the population growth rate is indeed rising in some poorer areas.

　　The population imbalance also exists between eastern and western parts of China. The relatively rich and fast-paced eastern part cultivates the new life philosophy that stresses self-enjoyment and self-development, rather than carrying on the family name. In large cities like Beijing and Shanghai, DINK (Double Income, No Kids) families have become popular. In contrast, people in many places in west China stick to traditions and tend to have more than one child.

　　Simple control is not the key to resolve population problems. What’s more important is to improve population quality. And the large gap between the growth rates of urban and rural populations will bring new social problems. Having children, which should be a personal matter, has unavoidably become a national affair in China, a country with a large and fast-growing population, but less-developed economy.

　　Therefore, the low birth rate is not an adequate reason to change the long-standing government policy or slow down the process of improving population quality.

　　By LI JIANGUO