Multiple cities introduce new policies to boost fertility

Multiple Chinese cities, including Chengdu, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province and Changchun, Northeast China’s Jilin Province, have recently introduced policies to enhance fertility and childcare support, such as issuing draft plans for birth subsidies.

Chengdu will enhance fertility and childcare support by measures including improving and implementing proactive fertility support policies, and establishing a comprehensive system of related policy measures, according to an implementation plan for the special action to boost consumption in the city by 2025 posted on the website of the Chengdu Municipal Development and Reform Commission on Wednesday.

The city aims to have all secondary and tertiary public hospitals to provide pediatric services. It will improve the inclusive childcare service system, expand the supply of inclusive childcare and increase the proportion of inclusive childcare slots in registered childcare institutions to over 60 percent, according to the plan.

The city of Changchun on Tuesday released an implementation draft plan for special actions to boost consumption for public opinions. According to the plan, the city will implement national childcare subsidies and provincial incentives for second and third children.

The city plans to support inclusive childcare services by providing differential subsidies to public childcare institutions. In urban areas of Changchun, the subsidy is 2,400 yuan ($333) per year per child, while in other regions it is 1,800 yuan per year per child. For certain self-financed institutions, the subsidy is 3,600 yuan per child annually in urban areas and 2,400 yuan in other regions, according to the draft plan.

On Tuesday, local authorities in Shenmu, Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province released a trial implementation plan for birth and child-rearing subsidies. Families having a second child will receive a one-time subsidy of 5,000 yuan, while families having a third child will receive a one-time childbirth subsidy of 10,000 yuan, according to the plan released by Shenmu local authorities.

For families having a second child, an annual childcare subsidy of 3,000 yuan will be provided until the child turns 2, while families with a third child will receive 10,000 yuan annually until the child turns 3.

Jiang Quanbao, a professor at the Institute for Population and Development Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong University, told the Global Times that childbirth subsidy systems in various regions have adopted a comprehensive, “whole-chain” approach, covering areas such as housing, marriage, financial support and childcare. He also noted that future policies may further strengthen these efforts.

“The implementation of childbirth subsidy policies is accelerating and sending positive signals. These city-level initiatives reflect a broader shift from policy vision to concrete action across regions,” Jiang said.

In recent years, China has been making efforts to build a more childbirth-friendly society, including providing cash rewards and improving childcare services.