Lawmakers have officially approved reforms allowing all couples in China to have two children beginning on January 1, 2016, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing state media. Chinese Communist Party leaders had previously approved the new policy, but the National Health and Family Planning Commission – responsible for implementing reproductive policy – said it would move slowly to avoid population spikes at the time. Few demographers expect the new policy to facilitate a baby boom in China, where the cost of having a second child can be prohibitive. The reform comes long after experts began warning China’s leaders that already falling birthrates could result in future labor shortages.
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