First one child, now two - but China's birth control policy is here to stay
Changing the number of children from one to two might lessen need for harsh enforcement, but it won't disappear altogether, experts say
The mainland's decades-old birth-control regime would remain a "fundamental state policy", continuing to rule and affect peoples' lives despite the scrapping of the controversial one-child restriction, experts said.
While couples across the country celebrated their long-awaited right to have a second child, the top family planner was quick to point out that the birth policy remained in place.
"The birth policy is a fundamental state policy that China must uphold in the long run," Wang Peian, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said on Friday.
The birth policy is a fundamental state policy that China must uphold in the long run
Couples must still comply with the rules of the policy, such as applying for birth permits for their expected children, and paying fines if they have more than two children.
"Although the policy has been relaxed …[the commission] will still prevent people from having three children or more. They will still oversee birth control issues," said Cai Yong, an expert on the demographics of China at the University of North Carolina.
Family planning official Wang said that couples would no longer need approval for a second child, but must "go through procedures according to relevant rules" if they wanted a larger family.
Liang Zhongtang, a demographer from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said that official rhetoric aside, couples would still need to work through government approvals.