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baby image via Shutterstock

China expects an extra THREE MILLION babies a year after abolishing 'one child' policy

90 million more women on the country are now entitled to have a second child.

AROUND THREE MILLION extra babies will be born each year after Beijing abolished its hugely controversial “one child” policy to allow all couples to have two offspring, officials have said.

Decades of strict, sometimes brutal enforcement left the world’s largest population — 1.37 billion people — ageing rapidly and with a shrinking workforce that has heightened the challenges of slowing economic growth.

The rule change, announced after a key Communist Party meeting last month, will allow 90 million more Chinese women a second child, said Wang Pei’an, a vice minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

But half of them are aged between 40 and 49, he added, limiting their desire or ability to bear children.

Some might be “reluctant” to have more children, he said, while some might be “unable to give birth” even if they wanted to.

Before the change, he added, 50 million women were already entitled to have a second baby under various exemptions — rural families whose first child is a girl, couples where one is an only child and ethnic minorities.

Baby boom

The announcement of the change prompted speculation of a baby boom giving the economy a boost, but analysts warn that many Chinese couples do not want more children, particularly given the expense, and the effects of the change remain unclear.

Relatively few have taken up the opportunities presented by reforms allowing some people more children in recent years.

There were nearly 17 million births in China in 2014 and Wang said the policy liberalisation will see around three million extra babies born each year over the next five years.

It would add a total of about 30 million people to the labour force by 2050, he told a briefing.

“The across-the-board two-child policy in the short term will drive consumption for housing, education, healthcare, housekeeping and daily necessities, stimulate investment in relevant sectors and increase job offerings,” he said.

“It will have even stronger positive impact on economic expansion in the long run,” he said, adding China’s “potential growth rate” was expected to rise by 0.5 percentage points.

Time lag

But after the change was announced, Edward Hugh, an independent economist based in Spain, warned: “There is a huge time lag, 15 years plus, before this has any impact.”

China’s family planning policy was instituted in the late 1970s, restricted most couples to only a single offspring and for years authorities argued that it was a key contributor to China’s economic boom and had prevented 400 million births.

It was enforced under a system of fines for violators and often forced abortions, leading to heartrending tales of loss for would-be parents.

Wang said the two-child policy will be implemented after the law is revised by the National People’s Congress, China’s rubber stamp parliament that meets in March annually.

- © AFP 2015.

Read: What happens if you have a 2nd child in China? ‘You’d become everyone’s punching bag’>

Read: Condom stocks fall in China but a boost for nappies, strollers and baby formula>

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    Mute Sean
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    Sep 10th 2016, 12:48 PM

    Awesome.

    234
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    Mute Peter Cavey
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    Sep 10th 2016, 1:02 PM

    Amazing. Mankind at its best.

    164
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    Mute aboutallthethings
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    Sep 10th 2016, 1:05 PM

    Fantastic stuff. And hopefully some day someone will stand there and see for themselves what the rover saw. That’s what we are, explorers. Always wanting to see “what’s over there”.

    124
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    Mute Cathal McDonald
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    Sep 10th 2016, 1:14 PM

    Too late. Matt Damon did it last year. Even grew spuds up there

    174
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    Mute aboutallthethings
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    Sep 10th 2016, 1:23 PM

    Spending a fortune saving that Fella from all sorts of trouble!

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    Mute Gunnarsahn
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    Sep 10th 2016, 2:27 PM

    were they queens or what kind of spud?

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    Mute aboutallthethings
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    Sep 10th 2016, 3:01 PM

    Ker pinks I’d say, they would grow in anything!

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    Mute dublinlad
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    Sep 11th 2016, 1:36 AM

    Some carrots and you’d be all set.

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    Mute Daniel Murray
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    Sep 11th 2016, 2:16 AM

    They were a new species of Whites.. called Shites potatoes.

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    Mute Liam Dunne
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    Sep 10th 2016, 2:38 PM

    Wheres the bird with the 3 boobs?

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    Mute Dylan Neary
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    Sep 10th 2016, 2:41 PM

    She got sucked out to space I think

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    Mute Seán J. Troy
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    Sep 10th 2016, 3:40 PM

    As a geologist myself I have to say, that cross bedding is beautiful.

    Shame there isn’t a hammer or an undergraduate for scale though…….

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    Mute alphanautica
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    Sep 10th 2016, 1:23 PM

    So many ancient artifacts in those photos; no doubt left from the civilisation that lived on Mars before they had to escape to colonise Earth, our true ancestors.

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    Mute The Clarifier
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    Sep 10th 2016, 2:08 PM

    Looks remarkably similar to places on our own planet. I mean so similar the photos could almost have been taken here

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    Mute TehJurolan
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    Sep 10th 2016, 2:16 PM

    Well, that settles it, there IS life on Mars. That top pic clearly shows a handbag amongst those rocks.

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    Mute Winston Smith
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    Sep 10th 2016, 6:02 PM

    The bottom right of that top picture seems to show an ancient Egyptian type weathered bust…If Martians were that ugly maybe that expalins why they died out!

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    Mute Charles Williams
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    Sep 10th 2016, 9:29 PM

    We have an even nicer planet here on Earth, we should be more careful with it for the short period we are it on loan.

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    Mute John Reese
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    Sep 10th 2016, 6:22 PM

    Is there an Irish bar up there ?

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    Mute Patrick Mac
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    Sep 10th 2016, 6:40 PM

    Yes John, its called the Mars bar, hehe.

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    Mute Eoin Leonard
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    Sep 10th 2016, 3:21 PM

    There’s absolutely no way that those rovers are on Mars.

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    Mute Gary
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    Sep 10th 2016, 3:32 PM

    Eoin, if you say so then it must be correct. I’ll be looking forward to your paper explaining your scientific reasoning for your claim.

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    Mute Niall Lonergan
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    Sep 10th 2016, 9:19 PM

    Well obviously Jesus, 9/11 and the Illuminati.

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    Mute Patrick Mac
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    Sep 11th 2016, 1:03 AM

    You must be a follower of the religion of Scientism Gary.

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    Mute Patrick Mac
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    Sep 11th 2016, 2:30 AM
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    Mute damien forkin
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    Sep 10th 2016, 4:53 PM

    Looks like shit enough craic up there.

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    Mute Patrick Mac
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    Sep 11th 2016, 1:01 AM

    I remember being on holiday in America years ago, in Arizona. Those pictures look just like it.

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    Mute Nydon
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    Sep 10th 2016, 1:34 PM

    Where’s this one gorn? https://goo.gl/images/tJcFv4

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    Mute RJ.Fallon
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    Sep 10th 2016, 4:02 PM

    John Carter has lived there for years, has a wife and son there. (according to E.R.Burrows)

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    Mute Niall Lonergan
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    Sep 10th 2016, 9:20 PM

    Well the movie version has grounded him on Earth for life after the box office takings. I’ll be on Mars before he will.

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    Mute RJ.Fallon
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    Sep 11th 2016, 12:32 AM

    Sorry, E.R.Burroughs.

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