This is a summary report of a State Family Planning Commission’s project on Future Population Development and Fertility Policy in China. The research examines China’s fertility and population changes in 1990s and discusses both the positive and negative outcomes of China’s family planning policy, Review of the results from some national fertility surveys reaches a conclusion that fertility norms and desires in China have undergone dramatic changes, and the couples’ desire on the number of children have dropped considerably lower than the replacement level. A 50-year long population projection is prepared, showing that the regulation that only-child couples can have two children will have a very small influence on population changes in China. Finally, the report outlines a population development strategy for the next 50 years towards the stabilization of the low fertility level in the post-transitional stage.
