Speech by Zhang Weiqing, Minister of the National Population and Family Planning Commission

January 23, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning!

It is my great pleasure to attend today’s press conference. First of all, I would like to express my thanks to our friends from the media for your continuous concern and support for China’s population and family planning cause!Now, I would like to give you a brief introduction to the Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Fully Enhancing Population and Family Planning Program and Comprehensively Addressing Population Issues, and also a briefing to other related issues.

1. On 17 December 2006, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council jointly promulgated the Decision on Fully Enhancing Population and Family Planning Program and Comprehensively Addressing Population Issues (the Decision). It has been published yesterday. This is another important decision made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council after the promulgation of the 1991 Decision on Enhancing Family Planning Program and Strictly Controlling Population Growth and the 2000 Decision on Enhancing Family Planning Program and Stabilizing the Low Fertility Level.

The Decision is a programmatic document guiding population and family planning program in the new era. Its promulgation represents an important measure for implementing the concept of scientific development and the strategic thinking of building a harmonious socialist society, and marks the entry of China’s population and family planning program into a new stage of stabilizing the low fertility level, addressing population issues in a comprehensive way and promoting all-round human development.

The Decision adheres to the scientific development concept as a general guiding principle, regards all-round human development as its central focus and stresses upon comprehensive solution to population issues as the main theme. While fully acknowledging the great accomplishments of population and family planning program, the Decision profoundly analyzes the current China’s population situation and its severe challenges and incisively describes the important status and role of population and family planning program in the economic and social development. After stating the need to stabilize the low fertility level with all efforts, the Decision goes on to describe a series of major tasks, policy systems and implementation measures, namely, vigorously upgrade general health of newborn population, comprehensively address abnormal sex ratio at birth, constantly improve the management and service delivery system for migrant population, proactively respond to population ageing, etc.

We will earnestly implement the Decision, stand on this new starting point, grasp the new opportunity, and actively explore new ideas, concepts and approaches for comprehensively addressing population issues with Chinese characteristics through reform and innovation in a truthful and practical manner.

2. The research of China’s National Strategy for Population Development was initiated in February 2004. After 26 months, the Report was completed thanks to general leadership of the State Council, leading roles played by Prof. Jiang Zhenghua, Dr. Xu Kuangdi and Dr. Song Jian, joint participation by over 300 experts and scholars, and extensive in-depth surveys, special researches and discussions conducted throughout the formulation process. It was already published on January 3, 2007.

Strategic research on China’s national population development covers three main topics, namely, the Scientific Development Concept, the Current Situation of China’s Population Development and the Close Relationship between Population, Resources, Environment, Society and Economy, and it also covers other 42 sub-topics. On the basis of summarizing Chinese accomplishments and experiences of population development and analyzing the current China’s population situation and its challenges, four basic judgments were made. (1) Neither excessively high nor excessively low fertility level is conducive to coordinated development of population, society and economy; (2) Stabilization of the low fertility level requires innovation to the concepts, mechanisms and approaches of the program; (3) Formulation of a population development strategy should not only focus on population issues but also address appropriately the relationship between population, economy, society, resources and the environment; (4) It is imperative to adjust the development concepts, i.e., establish new important strategic philosophies such as “population development is fundamental to China’s national economic and social development”, “development serves the people, relies on the people and benefits all people with its fruits” and “prioritize investment in all-round human development”. It was on such basis that the overall line of concepts, strategic objectives and policy recommendations for population development were put forward.

Outcomes of such strategic research on China’s national population development won full affirmation from state leaders and provided a scientific foundation for the CPC Central Committee to issue the Decision and Prepare the 11th Five-Year Plan for Population Development and the Program for Population Development 2006-2020.

3. According to the China’s Research Report on National Strategy for Population Development and our population and family planning work, the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) took the lead in preparing the 11th Five-Year Plan for Population Development and the Program for Population Development 2006-2020. The plan and the program, as a component of the six special programs for China’s national economic and social development, have recently been approved by the State Council for implementation. The plan and the program state the national strategic thinking and objectives for population development and put forward major tasks for population development during the 11th Five-Year Plan Period. (1) Stabilize the current fertility policy, and implement socioeconomic development policies in an integrated way, so as to maintain the total fertility rate at around 1.8 and ensure realization of the quantitative population objective; (2) Upgrade general health of newborn population, comprehensively address unbalanced sex ratio at birth and proactively respond to population ageing; (3) Prioritize development of education and fully develop human resources; (4) Take coordinated development of urban and rural areas and of different geographic regions into overall consideration and guide orderly movement and rational distribution of population; (5) Develop the undertakings for public health, women and children, social welfare, and promote social harmony and equity.

Now, my colleagues and I myself would like to open the floor for your questions.