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submitted
a report entitled "The Issue of Population Remains a Key Factor for
China's Sustainable Development in the 21st Century" to the NPC and
CPPCC sessions. He pointed out in the report that vigilance against excessively
fast population growth is the most economical and effective way to raise
the western people's living standards. Otherwise the process of western
development will be impeded. Available data indicate that in the mid-21st
century, there will be around 300 million childbearing women in China.
Even if the current population policy is strictly and smoothly carried
out, 19 million people will be born annually before 2010. The Chinese
Academy of Sciences predicts that the Chinese population will reach 1.6
billion in 2030. At present, the natural growth rate of population in
western areas is more than twice that in eastern areas. Due to the harsh
living conditions in western areas, people have a relatively large demand
for labor, especially male labor, in the struggle for existence. They
try all possible means to have extra children. This, however, will impose
a huge pressure on the region's socio-economic development, resources
and environment. If the excessive growth of population is not curbed,
the western development will apparently get half the result with twice
the effort. Not only will the people's living standards not be improved
rapidly, but also the resources and environment in the region will deteriorate.
Li believes that practical and effective
measures should be adopted to revert the vicious cycle of "the poorer
the more children, and the more children the poorer." The same great effort as is devoted to
economic development should be made in family planning work in the west,
while continuing to encourage the practice of "one family, one child." He said that in the western areas, especially
areas inhabited by ethnic-minority people, the existing policy permits
one couple to have two, three or
even four children. The government should advocate a more rational family
planning program in line with the local environment, resources and social
conditions. The government is in arrears with birth control surgery fees
to such an extent that sometimes the locals have to take the initiative
for the surgery. Compared with economic construction, the investment needed
for family planning is small and, only a few hundred million yuan will
significantly improve the work. Therefore, the input into birth control
in the western areas should draw special attention, as it will bring huge
and long-term benefits rather than disadvantages to the region. |