BenGuggenheim

21216

English

September25,1980

ThecountrysCommunistYouthLeagueComrades(Komsomolets):

Inordertostriveforhavingourcountryspopulationbeunder1.2billionpeoplebythe
endofthecentury,theStateCouncilhasissuedacalltothenationforeachcoupleto
onlyhaveonechild.Thispolicyisanimportantmeasureforachievingthefour
modernizations(agriculture,industry,nationaldefense,andscienceandtechnology),as
wellasgreatpaceandprosperity,andisrelatedtothewellbeingoffuturegenerations
andboththelongtermandimmediateinterestsofthepeople.Thecentralauthorities
askthatallcommunists,particularlyYouthLeagueComradesofallcadres,takeaction
inleadingtheresponsetotheStateCouncilsrequestandactively,responsiblyand
patientlyeducatethemasses.

Sincethefoundingofthiscountry,duetotheimprovementofhealthandliving
conditionsofpeople,especiallythegreatlydecreasedmortalityrateandinfantmortality
rate,lifeexpectancyhasgreatlyincreased.However,overtime,unregulatedbirthrate
hasresultedinrapidpopulationgrowth.FromOldChina,1800to1949,onehundred
fortynineyearslater,thenationalpopulationincreasedbyonehundredthirtymillion
people.SincethecreationoftheRepublicthreedecadesago,over600millionpeople,
notincludingthosewhodied,havebeenborn,creatinganetincreaseofroughly430
million.Thepopulationhasincreasedsofastthatprovidingeveryonewithfood,clothes,
shelter,transportation,education,sanitation,andjobopportunities,amongotherthings,
isbecomingincreasinglydifficult,andreversingthedirectionofanentirecountryina

shortperiodoftimetoavoidpovertyisnoteasy.Ofparticularimportanceisthenations
populationincreasebetweentheyearsof1930and1970,duringwhichtherewasthe
fastestpopulationrateincrease.Now,peopleundertheageofthirtymakeupsixtyfive
percentofthetotalpopulationand,inthefuture,onaveragetherewillbemorethan2
millionpeoplewhoentertheageofgettingmarriedandhavingchildreneachyear.Ifwe
donottakeactioninthenextfewyearstomakeitstandardforacoupletoonlyhave
onechild,inordertoregulatethegrowthrate,accordingtothecurrentaverageof2.2
childrenpercouple,ourpopulationwillreach1.3billionbytheendoftwodecadesand
1.5billionbytheendoffour.Thiswillgreatlyexacerbatethedifficultiesofachievingthe
fourmodernizations,aswellasmakeitveryhardforpeopletoimproveupontheir
currentsituations.

ThemosteffectivesolutiontothisproblemistoimplementtheStateCouncilsplanof
onechildpercouple.

Clearcalculationshaveshownthatthehouseholdthatpreviously,withthepopulation
increase,didnothaveworkwillnowhavemoremoneyandgrain,greatlyimproving
theirlives.Whentheyareabletowork,theywillcontributetosociety,aswellashelp
withtheproductionandconsumptionofgoods.Tothestates,ifagriculturaland
industrialproductionisstilllow,andmaterialproductionisnotsufficient,theregulation
ofpopulationgrowthratewillhaveaneffectonthefundingandresourcesneededfor
modernizations.Rapidpopulationgrowthwillreducecapitalaccumulation,whereas
reducedpopulationgrowthwillcauseanincrease.Populationgrowth,inadditionto
increasingfamilysupportpaymentsinordertosolveissuesrelatedtoschool,
employment,etc.,wouldalsoresultinanincreaseinfundingforeducation,investment
inequipmentandsocialequityexpenses.Thinkaboutit:fromsavingmoneyinthe
economytocultureandeducation,thispolicywillplayalargerole.

Rapidpopulationgrowthwillalsomakeimprovingonesqualityoflifemuchharder.For
example,thefoodsupply:ruralandcityfolkalikerequiregrain,aswellastheindustry.
Inthefuture,allpeopleshouldreceiveanaverageofeightpoundsofgrain.Ifthe
populationincreasesbyanother100millionpeople,itwouldbenecessarytoproduce
morethananother800milliontonsofgraintoreachthisgoal.Now,wehavean
averageofabout1.3acresofarablelandperperson,however,withapopulation
increaseto1.3billionpeopletheaveragewouldfallbelowoneacre.Incurrent
conditions,withonlysomuchland,tryingtoproduceanaverageofeightpoundsof
grainperperson,aswellascultivateenoughcrops(forotherpurposes,likeindustry)is
verydifficult.Inaddition,rapidpopulationgrowthnotonlyincreasesthedifficultyof
receivingeducationandfindingemployment,butalsodepletesresources,likeenergy,
water,forests,andothernaturalresources,andthisincreasedconsumptionleadsto
environmentalpollutionanddecreasedqualityoflife,whichisdifficulttoimprove.

Then,couldpromotingeverycoupletoonlyhaveonechildrealizethisgoal?Aslongas
weconcentrateeffortstoachievethisgoalitispossible.Oureffortstocontrolpopulation
growthfrom1971to1979resultedin56millionfewerchildrenbeingborn.Since1979,
inresponsetothepartyscall,millionsofyoungcoupleshavevolunteeredtoonlyhave
onechild.1979saw10millionfewerpeoplebornthanin1971.Factshaveproventhat
ourcountryspeoplearereasonable,canseetheoverallsituationandunderstandthe
countrysdifficulties,andthusmakeconsiderationsforthesakeoffuturegenerations.

Somecomradesworrythatcouplesonlyhavingonechildwillcreateproblemsinthe
future:forexample,anincreasingaveragenationalage,laborshortage,alargerratioof
mentowomen,andtheelderliesincreaseddependencyontheirchildren.Someof
theseproblemsaremerelymisunderstandingsandsomecanbesolved.

Thepopulationagingphenomenonwillnotappearinthiscentury,becauseabouthalf
ofthecountryspopulationisundertwentyone,whereasthosewhoaresixtyfiveor
olderonlymakeuplessthantwentyfivepercent.Theagingphenomenonwouldtake

fortyyearstoarise,atleast.Inwhichcase,wecantakestepsinadvancetopreventthis
fromhappening.

Rightnowourcountryslaborforceiscomprisedofaboutfivehundredmillionpeople,
andaftertwomoredecadesitisexpectedtoreach6hundredmillion,meaningthatit
willincreasebyover10millioneachyear.Afterthreedecades,ifthecurrentpopulation
growthproblemhasbeenmitigated,wecanlookintoproducingadifferentpolicy.
Therefore,theproblemoflaborshortageisnothingtoworryabout.

Sinceaftertheliberation(theCommunistsvictoryovertheNationalistsin1949),the
ratioofmentowomenhasbeenfairlysimilar,althoughthereareslightlymoremen.
Sincethepromotionoftheonechildpercouple,authoritiesincertainareashavealso
reportedthatsurveysshowanonlyslightlyhighermalepopulation.

Grownupwomenattendtothesamelaborasmendo,andtherearesomelabor
professionsthattheycandoverywell,mostlyaroundthehouse,andthisprovidestheir
husbandswithmoreflexibilityinregardstolivingwiththeirfamilies.Nowadays,Chinese
people,especiallyyouths,mustovercomethetheoldpatriarchalideologywomencan
alsobewellraised.

Ifweimplementapolicymakingitsothateverycoupleonlyhasonechild,some
familiesmayexperiencetheproblemofnothavinganyonetotakecareoftheirparents,
somefortyyearslater.Manycountrieshavethisproblem,andweshouldtrytofinda
solutiontoit.However,thefuturedevelopmentofproductionwillimprovepeopleslives,
socialwelfareandsocialsecurity,sothatasenseofstabilitycaneventuallybereached,
protectingthelivelihoodoftheelderly.Caringforandsupportingtheelderlyisthe
responsibilityofthechildren,andisalsoatraditionofoursociety.We,asapeople,
mustcarryforwardthegoodsocietalatmosphere.Thosewhodonotsupporttheir
parentsarenotonlyabashingtheirparents,andthereforeshouldbecriticized,butare
alsoviolatingthelaw.

Atthesametimethatwewanttolimittheamountofchildreneachcouplecanhaveto
one,wealsowanttoencouragedelayedmarriagesandchildbirth.Themarriagelawis
notjustsupposedtocausewomentogivebirthlate,butallowthemtohavetimeto
studyandworkandhaveanappropriatelydelayedchildbirth.Ifyoungwomenbegin
childbearingattheageoftwenty,inanygivenonehundredyears,fivegenerations

wouldbeborn.Iftheybeginchildbearingatagetwentyfive,onlyfourgenerationswould
comeofit.Delayedpregnancygreatlyinfluencespopulationgrowth,whichisvery
important.Appropriatelydelayedchildbirthalsohasmanybenefitsforyoungcouples.

Inordertocontrolpopulationgrowth,thePartyhasdecidedtocreateasetofpolicies.In
termsofnursery,school,medicalcare,recruitment,enrollment,andurbanandrural
residentialhousingbasedallocation,thegovernmentwilltakecareoffamilieswithonly
onechild.Wewillalsoconscientiouslyimplementapolicyofequalpayformenand
women.Inordertovigorouslycarryoutreproductivephysiologyanddevelopbirth
controltechnology,alargenumberofpeoplearebeingtrainedtogiveguidanceonbirth
controlandmaternalandchildhealthcareandeducationinordertoensurethesafety
ofbirthcontroltechnologyandreducethenumberofbabiesbornwithcongenital
geneticdiseases.Thisdepartmentiscurrentlytakingpromptandeffectivemeasuresto
producehighqualitycontraceptivestomeettheneedsofthemasses.

Sinceitinvolvestheinterestofeveryfamily,peoplemusttakeupideologicalworkfirst,
andadhere,patiently,totheeducationprovided.Practicaldifficultiessurroundingthe
policywillbetakencareof.Forexample,acouplemaygivebirthtotwins,butmaynot
givebirthtotriplets.Minorities,inaccordancewithourpolicies,willnotbeasrestricted.
Also,birthcontrolmethodsandcontraceptionwillbeappliedvoluntarily.

Werealizethatonlyhavingonechildpercoupleisabigchange.Werequirethatall
CommunistYouthLeaguecadresbeconcernedaboutthecountrysfuture,peoples
interests,andthehappinessoffuturegenerations,aswellashaveathorough
understandingofthesignificanceofthispolicy,andleadbyexample.Partymembers
mustalsotaketheleadinovercomingmisconceptions,likethebeliefthatnotgiving
birthtoaboywilldiscontinuethefamilyline.Youngcomradeswillstarthere,butolder
comradesmustalsoeducatetheirchildrentodothesame.Everycomrademust
activelyworktohelp,becomingadvocatestosolvingideologicalproblemsandpractical
issuesinregardstofamilyplanning,andpersuadeotherstofollowsuit,inorderto
properlyimplementtheStateCouncilsplantopromotetherealizationofthefour
socialistmodernizations.

CPCCentralCommittee
September25,1980


Chinese(:

1980925