Shanghai urges procreation amid ageing fears

SHANGHAI is urging eligible couples to have two children as worries about the looming liability of an ageing population outweighs concerns about over-stretched resources, a city official said yesterday.

The policy marks the first time in decades Chinese officials have actively encouraged procreation.

China’s famous “one child” policy is less rigorous than its name suggests, and allows urban parents to have two offspring if they are both only children. Rural couples are allowed a second child if their first is a girl.