CHINA TO OFFER HEALTHCARE SUBSIDIES IN A BID TO BOOST BIRTH RATE

China's government will offer subsidies to parents to the tune of $500 per child under the age of three per year, Beijing's state media said Monday, as the world's second most populous nation faces a looming demographic crisis. The country's population has declined for three consecutive years, with United Nations demography models predicting it could fall from 1.4 billion today to 800 million by 2100.
The nationwide subsidies apply retroactively from January 1, Beijing's state broadcaster CCTV said, citing a decision by the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, China's cabinet. "This is a major nationwide policy aimed at improving public wellbeing," CCTV said.
"It provides direct cash subsidies to families across the country, helping to reduce the burden of raising children," it added.
There were just 9.54 million births in China last year, half the number than in 2016, the year it ended its one-child policy, which was in place for more than three decades. The population declined by 1.39 million last year, and China lost its crown as the world's most populous country to India in 2023.
Marriage rates are also at record low levels, with many young couples put off having babies by high child-rearing costs and career concerns.Parents in Beijing welcomed the fresh subsidies, but said more needed to be offered for them to consider having extra children.
"For young couples who just got married and already have a baby, it might actually encourage them to consider having a second child," Wang Xue, a mother to a nine-year-old son, told AFP.