China to Scrap Limit On Number Of Children Couples Can Have

China appears to be on the verge of reducing the number of children couples can have, an official newspaper citing a draft civil code that would put an end to decades of controversial family planning policies.

The far-reaching code would eliminate a policy imposed through fines, but was also notorious for cases of forced abortion and sterilization in the most populous country in the world.

The Procuratorate Daily said the code omitted any reference to "family planning" - the current policy that restricts couples from having more than two children.

The draft code would be submitted to a vote in the Legislative Assembly, the National People's Congress, in 2020.


The Communist Party began in 1979 to implement a one-child policy to slow population growth. The limit was raised to two children in 2016 as the country strives to rejuvenate its aging population by about 1.4 billion.

There is concern that aging and shrinking labor forces will slow down the economy, while gender imbalances could lead to social problems.