The period to come will usher in "four peaks" in the development of
population in China, says Zhang Weiqing, director of
the State Family
Planning Commission October 6 in Beijing. The "four peaks" are
in total population, in age group of labor force, the aged people
and, floating and immigrating population.
In
China, there still exist many problems between the population and
family planning, indicates Zhang Weiqing and they are made to
reveal in the following "Five Not".
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First of all, it shows an unsteady low birthrate. Because the low
birthrate in China is realized by means of administrative control
under the conditions, in which we've seen an underdeveloped social
productive force, an unhealthy social insurance system and a not
very high level of culture for the broad masses of the people.
There still exists a certain gap between the wishes for
childbearing of the masses of the people and the family planning
policy. After practicing the family planning, they are confronted
with many difficulties in production and living, which they
themselves are unable to overcome, and so the low birthrate is
faced with a threat of bouncing up.
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Secondly, it embodies in the unbalanced development from region to
region: The city and developed areas have already witnessed a very
low birthrate with some areas seeing population increase in the
negative. But in the rural areas, especially in those areas of the
west the birthrate remains relatively high and it is still
difficult to carry out the work of family planning there. In quite
a few poverty-stricken areas the situation of "the poorer the more
births and the more births the poorer" remains by and large
unchanged.
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Thirdly, the work efficiency is not sufficiently high as a whole.
There are no enough administrative setups to handle the work of
family planning and population so as to meet the needs as required
by the system of socialist market economy.
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Fourthly, the family planning contingents are not qualified enough
to cater to the needs as required by the new situation and new
tasks. In a number of places the family planning work remains a
forced one by exercising administrative orders. In face of the
increasing needs of the masses they are unable to provide service
or it is often popular to see them doing a bad job and no sound
conception can be found as of offering good service to the people
there.
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And fifthly, blind optimism and a passive feeling of fearing
difficulties still rest in the minds of some Party and government
cadres and family planning workers in quite a few regions of the
country.
This is addressed by Zhang Weiqing at the national council meeting
of the 2nd session of the 5th conference of the Chinese Family
Planning Association held on Thursday. As the aforesaid problems
constitute the greatest hindrance to the maintaining of the low
birthrate the population and family planning are still the "No.1
difficult job" to deal with in the new era.
( December 9, 2001)