The currently "one-kid" policy in practice should be "cautiously" modified so as to allow a few more births in the world's most populous nation, a member of the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was quoted by local newspaper as saying Thursday.

CPPCC member Wang Xiang acknowledged that a more lenient family planning policy will constitute to such headaches as those incurred from aging and widening imbalance between the number of baby boys and girls born in the country.

According to Wang, China's family planning policy, featured by permitting one couple to have only one kid, has been carried out in urban areas. However, in its vast rural areas, more than one kid is allowed for each couple under the existing policy so that there will be sufficient labor force there, but it also adds difficulties in getting rural kids educated properly.

In order to have more than one child, some people "hired women” to carry their babies or ever resorted to have "a mysterious second wife", thus creating moral problems and undermining social order.

In addition, a large number of well-educated, high-income citizens hold it is both ideal and appropriate for each family to have two kids, said Wang, inferring to a "two children" policy launched to cater to the growing trend.

But the CPPCC National Committee member appealed for prudence on the part of the central government in readjusting its family planning policy and suggested "two kids" be set as the ceiling in the attempted policy move, according to Beijing Morning Daily.

His proposal, nevertheless, could take quite some time to materialize against a backdrop of the central government's resolve to maintain a "stable birth control policy", as indicated in Premier Wen Jiabao's government work report delivered to the session of the top legislature on March 5.

"China will not readjust its birth control policy on a short run as it is a crucial measure to maintain a low birth rate," said population expert Li Honggui Thursday during an interview with Xinhua.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2005)