Premier stresses implementing third-child birth policy

Premier Li Keqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, stressed reducing the burden of childbearing, rearing and education to ensure the implementation of the third-child birth policy. He made the instruction during a national videophone conference on improving birth policies held in Beijing on July 27.

The population issue is crucial to the fundamental, overall and strategic development of the Chinese nation, Premier Li said, and in light of China's population growth and changes, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have decided on the third-child birth policy and its supporting measures to promote long-term balanced population growth and high-quality development.

He pressed for better childbearing and rearing services, accelerating the construction of an inclusive childcare service system and fostering economic and social policies to facilitate the birth policy.

The government should protect the legitimate rights and interests of families and establish a sound system of comprehensive assistance and security for families with special needs, he said, urging government at all levels and related departments to come up with concrete plans and supporting measures and take solid actions.

Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting and gave a speech.

Future work should be focused on implementing the third-child policy and ensuring its supporting measures, she said, adding that an improved childbearing service system should be built and costs for marriage, childbirth, child-raising and education lowered.

Sun said that the ideology, policies, and mechanisms with unhealthy effect on long-term balanced population growth should be abandoned. In order to smoothly reach the strategic goal of population growth, childbearing policy should be in combined action with related economic and social policies.

Sun urged pressing ahead with the revision of relevant laws and regulations, reviewing and abolishing regulations on social maintenance fees and strengthening policy coordination. The standardized construction of maternal and child healthcare institutions should be accelerated, and the supply of maternal and child health resources should be expanded. The ability to treat critically ill pregnant and birth-giving women and newborns should be enhanced, and the quality of services for healthy birth and sound child rearing should be improved.

Day care services will be improved, and social forces such as working units are encouraged to provide such services in various forms, with the number of accommodations reaching 4.5 per thousand people by 2025.

To reduce the costs of giving birth to, bringing up and educating a child, possibilities will be explored for care fees of children younger than 3 to be included in special personal income tax deductions, the supply of inclusive preschool educational resources will be increased, and tailored house-renting and preferential house-purchasing policies studied.

The legitimate rights and interests of one-child families will continue to be safeguarded, and by strictly implementing childbirth leaves and breastfeeding leaves, women's rights and interests will be protected, Sun said.