The Chinese government hopes to expand the carrying out of its family planning policy to include the assistance of non-governmental forces, said an official from the State Family Planning Commission at the 6th Asia-Pacific Social Science and Medicine Conference held Wednesday in the capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province.
In the 1970s, China, the world's most populous country, adopted a one-child family planning policy, which has proved to be successful in controlling the booming population.
Zhang Weiqing, minister in charge of the commission, said that after nearly three decades, the concept of family planning has expanded to more than population control.
Apart from women of childbearing age, the targeted groups now include males, singles, youth and the elderly. Services have extended from contraception to pregnancy care, sex education and consultation, prevention of AIDS and domestic violence.
The ever-growing scope hopes to enlist more involvement than the government's lone efforts, said Zhang.
(China Daily October 17, 2002)
