China to globalise family planning efforts
( 2001-10-24 09:28 ) (8 )

China will expand its family-planning cooperation with international organizations in a much wider and more transparent environment after its pending WTO entry and contribute more to the stability of the world's population, a senior official said on Tuesday in Beijing.

Zhang Weiqing, director of the State Family Planning Commission, said that the increased opportunities to keep in touch with international communities and to access more diversified sources of funds after China's WTO accession would greatly boost the country's exchanges and cooperation with global peers in the fields of reproductive health care, the export of contraceptives and the prevention and cure of sexually transmitted diseases.

These remarks were made at a working conference held on Tuesday in Beijing highlighting international cooperation in the population field.

According to Zhang, China would seize the opportunity to introduce and cultivate more professionals who are familiar with international practices, fluent in foreign languages and experienced in the population work.

Statistics from the nation's fifth census in 2000 revealed that over the past decade, the annual population growth in the interiors of China averaged 12.79 million, down 0.4 percent on the late 1980s.

China's efforts in population control over the past few decades were widely recognized by the international community, said Zhang.

Since the 1990s, China has cooperated with nearly 30 countries and introduced a donation fund of more than 200 million US dollars.

Family planning and reproductive health projects financed by the United Nations Population Fund have been implemented in 32 counties and cities throughout the nation's 22 provinces, not only improving the working efficiency of the pilot regions but also helping the international community understand more about China's family planning.

"Being a developing country with the largest population, the fertility of China has a direct bearing on the stability and prosperity of the world," said Zhang.

"China will continue its family-planning efforts to keep a low population growth and bring more benefits to its people," Zhang added.