A medical staff member cares for a newborn at the neonatal care unit of a hospital in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu Province on January 1, 2024. Photo: VCG

China has established a childbearing and child-rearing supporting system, with a number of  policies rolled out in localities across the country, including extending maternity leave to 158 days or longer, raising childbirth allowance and child-rearing subsidies, and providing more professional and affordable babysitter services at childcare institutions, Central China Television reported on Thursday, the 35th World Population Day, citing officials from China's National Health Commission (NHC). 

A demographer suggested that these policy measures should be further strengthened and added to cope with the fundamental concerns of young people, such as employment stability while more equitable income distribution, should be taken into consideration to boost China's birth rates. 

Themed under advocating a focus on family education and traditions and cultivation of marriage and child-rearing by the NHC, this year's population day aims to raise public awareness about further addressing China's declining birth rates in recent years and the demographic issues that may affect China's sustainable development. 

According to the NHC, all provinces have extended maternity leave by 60 days or more, and have set 15 days of paternity leave for families with newborns. In addition, five to 20 days of parental leave are given each year for families with toddlers, with all the provinces having extended their maternity leaves to 158 days or above. 

Compared with merely extending maternity leave, assuring women's employment after childbirth while offering flexible working hours may have a stronger positive effect, Li Jianmin, a professor of demography with the Institute of Population and Development at Nankai University, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

In order to alleviate the financial burden of childbearing, child-rearing and education, China established in 2022 the individual income tax special additional deduction for infants nursing for three years, with the deduction standard being 1,000 yuan ($137.53) per month for each child. In 2023, the threshold for special additional income tax deductions for taking care of children under age three was raised from 1,000 yuan to 2,000 yuan each month. 

Besides, subsidy policies for childbirth and child-rearing have been explored and rolled out in localities across the country. The subsidies offered in Southwest China's Yunnan Province and Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region have covered the entire provincial regions.  

Yunnan provides a one-time subsidy of 2,000 yuan and 5,000 yuan to families having a second and third child, respectively, along with an annual childcare subsidy of 800 yuan until the child turns three years old. Ningxia offers a one-time subsidy of 2,000 yuan and 4,000 yuan to families having a second and third child, respectively, and a monthly subsidy of no less than 200 yuan to families with a third child until the child reaches three years old. 

According to Li, rather than introducing the individual income tax special additional deduction which has little impact on low-income families, the root cause of high costs of child-rearing expenses and the problems relating to income distribution must be addressed. 

Moreover, a unified national policy on subsidies should be introduced since governments in localities at all levels are currently acting according to their own financial capabilities with most subsidies being temporary and not being able to be sustained in the long run, Li said. 

According to the NHC, a lack of childcare services for infants and toddlers aged up to three years old is one of the major factors holding back childbirth. Last year, the NHC and China's National Development and Reform Commission selected 33 cities as the first batch of demonstration cities for national infant and toddler childcare service, and introduced relevant policies to support and encourage the development of affordable childcare services.

One of the 33 demonstration cities, Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province has adopted measures such as offering financial subsidies, providing venues, reducing rents and giving tax incentives to encourage social forces to participate in the establishment of an affordable childcare service system. 

On top of that, Li noted that policies that ensure stable employment and certainty around income will have positive effect on their family planning decisions. 

China continues to make efforts to improve comprehensive prevention and treatment capabilities for birth defects with the nationwide infant mortality rate and the mortality rate of children under 5 years old due to birth defects both decreasing by over 30 percent compared with five years ago.