- Three-child policy: three instead of one – but control remains
- QR codes against waste issues
- Hungary to use Chinese vaccine as strategic advantage
- Travel restrictions in Guangdong
- Ministry tightens guidelines for environmentally harmful projects
- Heads: Zhang Yiming
Today is Children’s Day. But the fact that the decision-makers in Beijing announced the three-child policy just one day earlier is seen by many Chinese more as an affront than a family-friendly measure intended to boost the birth rate in the People’s Republic. Because to achieve this, there should have been childcare subsidies, reductions in the horrendous school fees in the big cities, or simply a plan on how to reconcile work and family life in an increasingly competitive environment. Michael Radunski spoke with sociologists and family experts about the core of the surprising “three instead of one” family plan and shows that concerns about an aging society are driving those in power in Beijing. A shortage of young workers threatens a “decline in the economy.” China could lose its most important trump card in the struggle with the US.
Imagine being rewarded for sorting waste. Yes, really. You’ll even be paid money for it. In Changsha in the south of the country, the Chinese government has introduced a bonus system that is intended to make waste separation via QR code not only easy, but also attractive. Every registered household can collect points. Frank Sierra’s Feature shows that German waste disposal companies from Berlin to Munich are also involved.
Ning Wang
Feature
Three instead of one – but control remains
China’s government wants to allow married couples to have three children. The state news agency Xinhua reported this on Monday, citing a Politburo meeting led by President Xi Jinping. “Allowing all couples to have three children will help improve the population structure,” the news agency quoted from the meeting. The aim, it said, was to “further optimize birth policies.” However, it is still unclear when the new permission will come into effect.
In addition to the three-child policy, it was decided to raise the retirement age gradually. This is a plan already adopted in the current five-year plan. But details were sparse on Monday.
“Monday’s decisions are the policy response to the low birth rate and aging of Chinese society as revealed by the 7th National Population Census, the results of which were recently released,” Kaijun Chen, a sociologist by training at Oxford University and now a sustainability consultant in Beijing, told China Table.
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