China Moves to Three-Child Policy to Boost Falling Birthrate
source:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MHZ5wm5BC8
transcript:
China announced a major change to its family planning policies(计划生育政策). What do we know about that?
So at a politburo meeting(中共政治局会议) headed by Xi Jinping, China announced it was a surprise move that families here will now be able to have three children. We don't have the time frame. We don't know exactly when this will be enacted(通过法律付诸实施), but it does follow decades of very gradual changes to the family planning policies in China. In 2016 they allowed families to increase the number of children, they could have from one to two, and you saw in 2016 a short term blip in terms of upward moves in terms of the numbers of births. The concern is that this is too little too late. Policiy makers are clearly very anxious about a possible declining population. You could see the population of China falling before 2025 according to some economists. You had 12 million new births last year. That was the lowest number since 1961, but others are saying look you need much more than just this announcement. You need to follow through with policy changes around maternity leave(女性孕期产假), around pushing down the cost of education and housing(降低教育和住房成本). So most think this will not be enough. There have to be other policies enacted if China is going to miss this major demographic challenge.
references:
1. blip: a short pause or change in a process or activity, especially when the situation gets worse for a while before it improves again
A government spokesman described the rise in inflation as a temporary blip.
2. follow through: to do what needs to be done to complete something or make it successful
If you have followed through all the exercises in this book, you should be ready for the second year course.
3. around: if something is organized around a particular person or thing, it is organized according to their needs, wishes, ideas etc
Their whole society was built around their religious beliefs.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2021-05-31/china-moves-to-three-child-policy-to-boost-falling-birthrate-video