VZCZCXRO2161
RR RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHCN #0139/01 1520603
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010603Z JUN 07
FM AMCONSUL CHENGDU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2518
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHCN/AMCONSUL CHENGDU 3046

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENGDU 000139 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM, DRL AND G/STC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV CH
SUBJECT: FAMILY PLANNING IN SICHUAN'S ABA TIBETAN AND QIANG 
AUTONOMOUS PREFECTURE 
 
REF: CHENGDU 137 
 
CHENGDU 00000139  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  According to the head of the local Population 
and Family Planning Bureau, both Han Chinese and ethnic minority 
families in Western Sichuan Province's Aba Tibetan and Qiang 
Autonomous Prefecture are permitted to have at least two, and in 
some cases, three children.  The prefecture provides economic 
incentives, however, to families who chose to have only one 
child.  Although providing "excellent quality of care" is a good 
motto, Aba struggles to meet this goal due to a population 
widely dispersed over a large land area, and outdated 
infrastructure and technology.  Social Compensation Fees for 
"out-of-plan" births are fifty percent lower than the level set 
out in Sichuan Province regulations and the prefecture has done 
away with the birth spacing requirement.  As in other Tibetan 
areas of our district, family planning regulations appear to be 
somewhat loosely enforced in Aba Prefecture.  End Summary 
 
¶2.  (U) During an official Consulate visit to western Sichuan 
Province's Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Aba 
Population and Family Planning Bureau Director Pan Lin briefed 
CG and Congenoff on the birth planning regulations in the ethnic 
minority area.  The total population of the prefecture is 
approximately 850,000, 678,000 of whom are rural residents; 55 
percent are Tibetan, 24 percent are Han Chinese, 18 percent are 
Qiang, and 3 percent are Hui. 
 
Two or Three Children Permitted in Aba 
-------------------------------------- 
¶3.  (U) Pan explained that all rural people in Aba Prefecture 
are permitted to have two children, regardless of whether they 
are ethnic minorities or Han Chinese.  Urban ethnic minorities 
may also have two offspring.  Residents of nomadic and high 
altitude areas are permitted to have three children. 
 
"Fewer Births, Become Richer Quicker" 
-------------------------------------- 
¶4.  (U) Even though most residents are permitted to have 
multiple births, family planning officials in Aba emphasize to 
residents that by having fewer births, they can become richer 
more quickly (shaosheng kuaifu).  Families who chose to have 
only one child are eligible to receive a RMB 3000 (USD 360) 
one-time payment as a reward.  Similar to programs in other 
parts of the country, Aba Prefecture provides yearly RMB 600 
(USD 72) social security payments to single child households 
when the parents reach sixty years old.  All family planning 
services in the prefecture are free to residents, and officials 
all strive to provide "excellent quality of care" (youzhi fuwu). 
 Pan added that money for the prefecture incentive programs 
comes from the local government. 
 
Challenges to "Excellent" Family Planning Service 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
¶5.  (SBU) Pan stated that while "excellent quality of care" is a 
good motto, the greatest challenges are infrastructure 
deficiencies and poor quality of service.  The areas of the 
prefecture covered by population and family planning services 
are large and the population is very spread out, so it is very 
difficult to provide services.  Investment in technology is also 
behind, Pan added. 
 
Social Compensation Fee Lower Than In Rest of Province 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
¶6.  (SBU) When queried about the exact amount of the Social 
Compensation Fee (SCF) for out-of-plan births (beyond the two or 
three already permitted), Pan responded that it was 50 percent 
lower than what was set out in Sichuan Provinces' regulations. 
Provincial regulations require that families who have out of 
plan births pay a fee of six to eight times their annual 
disposable income.  Pan emphasized that that SCFs are a 
"non-issue" in Aba because people who have out of plan births 
are the poorest of the poor and "there is no way to collect 
fines from them."  Pan also stressed that there would absolutely 
be no pressure placed on women expecting out-of-plan births to 
have abortions. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Pan asserted he has not seen any "well-off" families 
having out-of-plan births, adding that people who already have 
two children frequently go to the hospital for "surgery." (Note: 
 Pan implied that these surgeries were abortions and/or 
sterilizations.  End Note).  In response to another question, 
Pan also stated that Aba Prefecture no longer has a birth 
spacing policy requiring couples to wait four years before their 
first and second, or second and third children.  In closing, 
however, Pan appeared to contradict his earlier comments 
regarding the prefecture's dispersed population by claiming that 
people are increasingly choosing not to have more births because 
land is limited and the population is increasing. 
 
 
CHENGDU 00000139  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
¶8.  (SBU) During our travels to several rural counties of the 
prefecture, we sensed that family planning policy might be 
somewhat loosely enforced in this largely ethnic minority area. 
Many families appeared to have two or more children.  This is a 
common situation we have observed in most Tibetan areas in our 
consular district, including Yunnan, Sichuan and the Tibetan 
Autonomous Region (TAR). 
BOUGHNER