According to major media reports, the proposal was jointly issued by 15 departments and aims to deepen the construction of 'youth-development-oriented cities' with measures covering jobs, housing, healthcare, and public services. The initiative follows Beijing's March announcement to build a 'childbirth friendly society' from 2026-2030. Proposed measures include improving matchmaking and social services, expanding childcare subsidies, and promoting wider coverage of mother-and-baby rooms in public places. Further provisions involve enhancing maternity and paediatric care, strengthening after-school and holiday childcare services, and ensuring more equal school access for the children of migrant workers. The policy states: 'By 2030, the concept of youth-development-oriented cities will be widely established.' It also says that by 2035 China aims to have formed a 'relatively mature and complete system for youth development.'
China's population decreased by 3.39 million in 2025, marking the fourth consecutive annual decline. Births fell to 7.92 million, with the birth rate dropping to a record low. The latest birth numbers show the slight uptick in 2024 was not a lasting trend, as births declined for seven years in a row through 2023. Authorities have introduced a range of incentives, from direct cash subsidies to controversial taxes on condoms, in a bid to reverse falling birth rates, but these initiatives have yet to yield the desired results. Most families cite the costs and pressure of raising a child in a highly competitive society as significant hurdles.
Separately, China has published new maps that underscore the country's 'military ambitions and its claims to disputed waters', according to the New York Times. Experts consider the maps 'put pressure on other countries' and 'can be used for warfare'.