Call For China Cadres to Have Three Kids Sparks Outrage

(Bloomberg) -- Chinese Communist Party members were asked to personally implement China’s “three-child” policy in a commentary that went viral before being deleted, the South China Morning Post reported. 

Screenshots of the article, originally published on a state-affiliated website, sparked heated discussion on China’s Twitter-like Weibo, where users expressed outrage and shock at its instructions.

“Those who do not have three children should be expelled from the party and those who did not have three children should not be allowed to join the party. Is it 2021 now? Did I travel in time?” asked one user. “When going on blind dates in the future, people will no longer ask how many apartments you have, they will ask: are you a party member. If yes, then can say goodbye,” joked another. 

One hashtag on the commentary garnered more than 5.7 million views on Weibo before disappearing, SCMP reported, but another hashtag for the discussion had been viewed 61,000 times as of 11 a.m. Friday morning. The article was no longer on the China Reports Network website on Friday.

Read more: China’s Record-Low Birth Rate Underscores Population Challenges

The number of children born in China has plummeted in recent years, despite government efforts to encourage births. Earlier this year the government allowed all couples to have three children, but early signs indicate that the number of newborns continued to decline this year. 

It’s unclear what the government can do to reverse the trend of falling birthrates, which is a phenomenon seen in most developed nations across the world. It may also be too early to see much effect of any “third-child policy” -- after decades of enforcing a “one-child policy,” most families don’t even have a second child. 

Some areas in China seem to be limiting access to vasectomies in an attempt to lift the number of births, the Washington Post reported this week. 

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With assistance from Bloomberg