World

China relaxes family planning rules to allow three children per couple

Two women push strollers along a business street in Beijing on May 31, 2021. / AFP / WANG Zhao
 
Two women push strollers along a business street in Beijing on May 31, 2021. / AFP / WANG Zhao
BEIJING: China announced on Monday that each couple would be permitted to have up to three children, a major policy shift from the existing limit of two children, after census data showed a dramatic decline in births. The policy change was approved during a politburo meeting on Monday chaired by President Xi Jinping, the official news agency Xinhua reported, without saying when the change takes effect.