How successful has China's One Child Policy been?

China's family planning policy has prevented 400 million births, officials say. Since the regulations were introduced in 1979, China has kept its population in check using persuasion and encouragement. And it looks likely that, nearly 30 years after the policy was first introduced, it will not be relaxed to allow couples to have more children.

"Because China has worked hard over the last 30 years, we have 400 million fewer people," said Zhang Weiqing, minister in charge of the National Population and Family Planning Commission. "

"Compared with the world's other developing countries with large populations, we have realised this transformation half a century ahead of time."

A team of independent Chinese and foreign academics, who this year completed what they say is the first systematic examination of the policy, agree that China has managed to limit its population growth.

"It wouldn't matter what my financial situation was or what the government regulations were, I'd still only want one child " - Zhao Hui, mother

China's population growth rate has reduced to 0.6, second lowest in the world - this shows that so far the policy is working. The fall in fertility rates is also, at least partly, due to improving social and economic circumstances. In other East Asian countries, such as Thailand and South Korea, modernisation has led to women having fewer children, and yet these countries do not have strict family planning policies.

But Professor Wang does admit that China's family planning policies since 1979 have helped reduce the fertility rate further and contributed to a change in attitudes.
"A lot of people simply don't want that many children. People have accepted the policy," he says.
This is particularly true in urban areas, where most couples say they are happy with just one child.