China should phase out its unpopular one-child policy and let families have two children by 2015, an influential think-tank with close links to the government has proposed. The suggestion comes from the China Development Research Foundation (CDRF), adding to growing calls for a relaxation of a policy first introduced over 30 years ago.
It would see the world's most populous country eventually abandon a measure that has been blamed for creating a demographic timebomb, with an ageing population foreshadowing huge economic and social problems. The policy has also fostered a gender imbalance. "Problems in population structure, quality and distribution have become increasingly visible and will have a profound impact on China's future social and economic development," the CDRF said in a report, according to a Xinhua news agency dispatch late Tuesday. "China has paid a huge political and social cost for the policy, as it has resulted in social conflict, high administrative costs and led indirectly to a long-term gender imbalance at birth."