China marks the end of a strict two-child policy amid population concerns

China has announced that it will allow each couple to have up to three children, marking the end of a strict two-child policy.

According to state media outlet Xinhua, the decision was announced in a politburo meeting on Monday.

It comes after a once-in-a-decade census showed that China’s population grew at its slowest pace in decades.

This added pressure on Beijing to boost measures for couples to have more babies and avert a population decline.

China to support couples having third child

China will support couples that wish to have a third child, according to a meeting of the Political Bureau of Communist Party of China Central Committee held on Monday.

Implementing the policy and its relevant supporting measures will help improve China’s population structure, actively respond to the aging population, and preserve the country’s human resource advantages, the meeting said