China population: article demanding Communist Party members have three children goes viral
- Opinion piece says members must ‘act on the three-child policy’ to boost China’s low fertility rates
- Original article has been removed, but screenshots have been widely circulated on social media
Members of China’s Communist Party (CCP) have a personal obligation to help tackle the country’s plunging fertility rate by having three children, according to a commentary that has since been scrubbed from the internet.
“No party member should use any excuse, objective or personal, to not marry or have children, nor can they use any excuse to have only one or two children,” said the article published by China Reports Network, which was published last month but started gaining traction on Wednesday.
“Every CCP member should shoulder the responsibility and obligation of the country’s population growth and act on the three-child policy.”
Although the original article can no longer be found on China Reports Network, screenshots have been widely circulated on social media and a related hashtag had garnered more than 5.7 million views on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media platform, as of Thursday afternoon.
Thousands of Weibo users expressed shock and indignation at the commentary, with one citing the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women which stipulates individuals have the freedom not to give birth.