Why was Chinas one child policy introduced?
China’s one child policy is often misunderstood in western countries, so I am glad that your question provides an opportunity to explain what it is and how it works. The one child policy was instituted 30 years ago as a humanitarian response to China’s over-population problem. Too many people versus limited resources is the core issue. Like every other country, China only has so much land, water, food, and natural resources. There are 1,330,000,000 people living in China and they all need water, food, housing, education, jobs, advancement opportunity, and a myriad of other requirements. Any large increase to the existing population would prevent economic and social stability for China’s people. The one child policy has the following features: * The policy only applies to registered urban families. Rural families and protected minorities (Tibetans, Uyghurs, and others) may have more than 1 child. * Couples may have 1 child every 10 years. Couples having more than 1 child within a 10 yea
