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(Original title: Fujian Quanzhou calls on party members and cadres to have three children? Quanzhou Municipal Health Commission responds)

It is reported online that Quanzhou, Fujian Province, called on party members and cadres to have three children. The picture shows children's products. Image source: Jiemian Gallery

Interface News reporter | Zhao Meng

Jiemian News Editor | Liu Haichuan

Recently, a screenshot of a population policy document suspected to be from Quanzhou, Fujian, was circulated online. The document mainly contains work arrangements for implementing the three-child policy, which states that "Party members and cadres, cadres at all levels of government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and public institutions should take the lead in implementing the three-child policy." This has aroused public concerns about "disguised forced" childbirth.

Regarding the authenticity of this document, Jiemian News learned from the Quanzhou Municipal Health Commission that this is a policy document on fertility support that Quanzhou City is planning to issue, but it is currently in the stage of soliciting internal opinions and has not yet been made public. Due to the negligence of some staff members, it was posted online, sparking heated discussions. Later, the relevant departments of Quanzhou City may publish it in due course according to the situation.

Screenshot of the document circulating online

Quanzhou is located in the southeast of Fujian Province, surrounded by mountains and facing the sea. Its economic growth has been outstanding among prefecture-level cities in the country. In Fujian Province, its economic size has long been the leading. In 2023, the total general public budget revenue of Quanzhou City was 101.847 billion yuan, an increase of 10.6%, breaking the 100 billion yuan mark for the first time and reaching a new historic level.

The Statistical Bulletin of Quanzhou's National Economic and Social Development in 2023 shows that at the end of 2023, Quanzhou's permanent population was 8.883 million, an increase of 4,000 from the end of the previous year. Among them, the urban permanent population was 6.288 million, accounting for 70.79% of the total population (urbanization rate of permanent population), an increase of 0.75 percentage points from the end of the previous year. The annual birth rate was 7.43‰, and the natural growth rate was 0.11‰. At the end of the year, the registered population was 7.757 million, an increase of 18,700 from the end of the previous year.

Since China implemented the three-child policy in 2021, the specific measures taken by local governments to implement the three-child policy have attracted much attention. Issues such as childcare subsidies, housing purchase discounts, and holiday care have been discussed from time to time. The content of this circulated document involves population policies and related service management. From the expression point of view, it is similar to the relevant documents issued by various places to optimize fertility policies and promote long-term balanced population development. In each task, the responsible units including the Health Commission and the Education Bureau are also clearly defined.

The document mentions the goals for 2035, including a more complete policy and regulatory system to promote long-term balanced population development, improved service management, moderate fertility, improved population structure, good birth and parenting, early childhood education services that are in line with the people's needs for a better life, significantly enhanced family development capabilities, and significant progress in the all-round development of people.

In the key tasks and measures section, the document lists three main areas of work. First, organize and implement the three-child policy; second, cancel fertility restrictions, including canceling social maintenance fees, cleaning up policy documents and social restrictions that are not suitable for the population development situation; third, improve the population service system, improve the overall solution for the "old and young", and establish and improve a population service system covering the life cycle.

In general, these measures are not new, but in the section on "organizing and implementing the three-child policy", the mention of party members and cadres taking the lead in implementing the three-child policy made some netizens feel uncomfortable, and some people worried that it would become a disguised forced birth of three children. On September 25, 1980, the Central Committee issued an "Open Letter to All Communist Party Members and Communist Youth League Members on Controlling my country's Population Growth", calling on all party members and Communist Youth League cadres to actively respond to "a couple can only have one child", which is regarded as an important symbol of China's comprehensive implementation of family planning.

Jiemian News found that similar statements requiring party members and cadres to take the lead in having three children have appeared in documents from other places before. For example, in November 2023, Lukou Community in Yuetang District, Xiangtan City, held a meeting to "take multiple measures to promote the publicity of the 'harmonious society comprehensive three-child policy'" and said, "We call on party members and cadres to publicize and guide, take the lead in implementation, and consciously implement the country's optimized fertility policy, and make positive contributions to promoting the long-term balanced development of the population."