HK Chief Secretary for Administration Donald Tsang has called on local couples to have three children, saying that this would be the best method to alleviate problems caused by an ageing society, which has only a very small population growth.

Speaking on a Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) phone-in program, Tsang also said it was vital to boost Hong Kong's competitiveness by expanding the talent import scheme to attract educated mainlanders - especially young single males.

"Hong Kong has one of the lowest 'total fertility rates' in the world and we need to think about how to resolve the problems discouraging people from having children," said Tsang, who heads the government task force on population policy.

The total fertility rate refers to the average number of children that would be born to a woman during her lifetime. The rate was at an extremely low level of 0.941 in 2003, well below the replacement level of 2.1, according to the Census and Statistics figures.

"We need to think about how to encourage them to build families and ease their pressure in daily lives," he said.

"I think each couple needs to give birth to at least two children to reach the population replacement level. Three will be the best," Tsang said.

According to a population project released by the government last year, the proportion of the population aged 65 and over, is projected to rise markedly, from 11.7 percent in 2003 to 27 percent in 2033. The median age of the population will increase from 38 in 2003 to 49 in 2033.

(China Daily February 22, 2005)