Chinese authorities are introducing new policies and regulations to support the three-child policy. The shift, which has overturned the two-child policy, was announced on 31 May amid growing concerns about the country’s declining birth rate and ageing population.
However, the policy change hasn’t changed the attitudes of many young couples who are put off by the high costs involved in raising and educating them. As a result, national and provincial authorities are offering incentives to try and encourage families to have more children and boost the birth rate.
Earlier this month, the State Council released a document to “improve birth policies” which listed measures to financially support parents with childcare costs. It also stated that fines for parents who have more than three children would be removed.
Panzhihua, located in Sichuan province, is the first Chinese city to offer subsidies to couples giving birth to more than one child. Parents will receive a subsidy of 500 RMB per baby every month until the child is 3 years old. It’s the first official incentive to encourage young couples to have more babies since the launch of the three-child policy.
Many netizens commented that the subsidies were not sufficient to support raising second or third children with high house prices, healthcare fees, and living costs.
In the last week, Chinese authorities have also issued new regulations for the private education industry which aim to support the three-child policy and reduce education costs. The rules include banning core-curriculum tutoring during weekends and holidays and forbidding tutoring companies from making profits or listing on stock exchanges globally.
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