The changes are aimed primarily at kickstarting the slowing economy, the one child policy relaxation recognizing the the diminished pool of younger people able to support the older generations. There are also reportedly changes made with regard to re-education camps still operating within China, which reportedly still include hundreds of thousands of people.
(Reuters) – China unwrapped its boldest set of economic and social reforms in nearly three decades on Friday, relaxing its one-child policy and further freeing up markets in order to put the world’s second-largest economy on a more stable footing.
The sweeping changes helped dispel doubts about the leadership’s zest for the reforms needed to give the economy fresh momentum as three decades of breakneck expansion shows signs of faltering. However, the reforms may take years.
A document released by the Communist Party following a four-day conclave of its senior leaders promised land and residence registration reforms needed to boost China’s urban population and allow its transition to a western-style services- and consumption-driven economy.