VZCZCXRO7743
RR RUEHCN RUEHGH RUEHVC
DE RUEHBJ #2808/01 2730849
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 300849Z SEP 09
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6297
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 2222
RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 BEIJING 002808 
 
STATE FOR PRM/POP 
STATE ALSO FOR DRL/PHD, IO/D, DRL, EAP/PD, AND EAP/CM 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM SOCI KPAO KPOP TBIO CH
SUBJECT: CARROTS AND STICKS IN CHINA'S ENFORCEMENT OF FAMILY 
PLANNING POLICY 
 
REF: A) BEIJING 2795  B) BEIJING 2187  C) STATE 77549 
      D) 07 STATE 2855 E) 07 GUANGZHOU 589 F) 07 GUANGZHOU 608 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Beijing experts on family planning assert that 
China's family planning efforts have broadened beyond population 
targets and include a number of programs and strategies emphasizing 
a more incentive-based and service-oriented approach.  Targets 
remain, however, as do heavy financial and administrative penalties 
for unauthorized or 'out-of-plan' births, while structural 
incentives in the family planning monitoring and evaluation system 
may also trigger coercive enforcement in some regions.  At the same 
time, the Central Government has instituted a number of rural social 
subsidy programs, which include monthly stipends and other 
preferential benefits for those who meet family planning 
regulations.  The government is making efforts to improve the 
accessibility and quality of family planning and reproductive health 
services, particularly for migrants, as well as making it possible 
for migrants to comply with family planning regulations without 
burdensome travel.  END SUMMARY 
 
 
 
PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS CONTINUE 
-------------- ------------------ 
 
¶2. (SBU) China's family planning policies are implemented at the 
provincial level and both regulations and the degree to which they 
are enforced vary.  A key part of enforcement is a financial 
penalty, called a "social compensation fee," for unauthorized 
births.  These 'out-of-plan' births include having too many 
children, having children out-of-wedlock, early-age childbirth, or 
having another child before the end of a mandated birth spacing 
period. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In a July 30 meeting with ESTHOff, the United Nations 
Population Fund's (UNFPA) Deputy Representative Mariam Khan 
explained that because social compensation fees are stipulated in 
the 2002 National Family Planning Law, they are seen by local family 
planning officials as irrevocable unless the law is amended or 
replaced.  Khan noted, however, that the implementation of these 
fees is left up to local authorities, so the fee structure, the 
violations that incur them and the degree and method of enforcement 
varies by province and even by county.  Social compensation fees are 
generally set as a multiple of average annual disposable or gross 
income in that area, with different formulas for different 
violations.  The burden on a couple can be much greater than the 
fine alone, since additional disciplinary measures may include loss 
of government subsidized health benefits, job loss or demotion, loss 
of promotion opportunity, expulsion from the Communist Party, and 
other administrative punishments. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The flexibility permitted in fee structures used means the 
seriousness of financial penalties varies widely across locations. 
Social compensation fees are levied per person so both the husband 
and wife must pay.  Current Beijing family planning regulations 
stipulate that for the first out-of-plan child, each person must pay 
three to ten times Beijing's average per capita disposable income of 
the previous year, or three to ten times his or her own actual 
disposable income, whichever is higher (NOTE: Disposable income is 
calculated for China's urban areas only and is a person's gross 
annual income minus income tax, contributions to social security, 
and other compulsory expenditures.  END NOTE).  For a second 
unauthorized child the fine basis is doubled.  The per person fine 
for an out-of-wedlock birth in Beijing is equal to the annual 
average per capita disposable income, while a birth spacing 
violation incurs a fine of 20 percent of the annual average per 
capita disposable income. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Hunan Province revised their regulations in September 2007, 
increasing the per person social compensation fee for the first 
unauthorized birth from two times the provincial annual average per 
capita gross income or the person's actual annual gross income, 
whichever is higher, to a range of two to six times that income. 
(NOTE: Hunan Province does not calculate for disposable income as 
Beijing does. END NOTE) In Hunan, the basis for the fine for a 
second out-of-plan child is triple that of the first unauthorized 
birth. 
 
¶6. (SBU) UNFPA's Khan told ESTHOffs that UNFPA is making progress in 
encouraging the relaxation of social compensation fees.  Khan said 
that UNFPA's strategy is to work within the provisions of the 
National Family Planning Law to minimize the impact of the fees in 
the drafting of regulations at the local level.  Among UNFPA's 30 
project counties (one in each province and municipality), 12 
counties have already agreed to adopt the lowest fines permitted by 
the provincial regulations.  UNFPA is also working with counties to 
 
BEIJING 00002808  002 OF 005 
 
 
remove certain categories of violations.  For example, 20 of the 30 
project counties have removed birth spacing requirements, and 
therefore the associated fees.  Thirteen provinces across China have 
eliminated birth spacing requirements altogether.  Khan further 
noted that UNFPA is working toward eliminating the practice of 
penalizing out-of-wedlock births by encouraging family planning 
officials to address that issue through improved premarital and 
adolescent reproductive health education, instead of through 
punitive measures.  According to Khan, current family planning 
services and campaigns that provide contraceptive information are 
targeted primarily at married couples. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Social compensation fees have been reported in the press as 
a social justice issue.  The media have carried articles criticizing 
the fact that wealthy and famous couples in China are able to have 
more children by simply paying the fines, or going overseas to have 
a second child.  A June 2009 article in an international newspaper 
cited that between 2001 and 2008, nearly 78,000 babies were born in 
Hong Kong to parents registered as living on the Mainland.  Family 
planning authorities have also complained publicly that their 
policies are being undermined by China's growing middle and upper 
classes, who, in many cases do not rely on government largess and 
therefore are less likely to feel burdened when paying existing 
penalties.  The former Minister of the National Population and 
Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) ZHANG Weiqing was described as 
saying there is "a huge shadow over the policy" and "growing 
resentment among poorer families" due to this phenomenon.  Local 
officials have attempted to address this issue by increasing fines 
for the wealthy and taking other measures targeted at their 
reputations.  For example, in Beijing, individuals can be banned 
from winning national awards or can be publicly named in the media 
for violations, even if they have paid the requisite fees. 
 
 
COERCIVE ENFORCEMENT IN SOME LOCALITIES 
----------- --------------- ----------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Although "abusive" enforcement of family planning policies 
is prohibited under the 2002 Population and Family Planning Law, 
according to Peking University (PKU) Population Studies professors 
CHEN Gong and MU Guangzong, there are aspects of current family 
planning practice and management that could exacerbate coercive 
enforcement.  NPFPC reported to ESTHOffs recently that since 2006, 
they have revised the evaluation criteria of family planning 
officials to focus more on customer satisfaction, with attention 
paid to "client needs" and "human rights".  However, population 
targets are still a performance indicator for local family planning 
officials.  In a July 24 meeting, Chen and Mu told ESTHOffs that 
China's system of setting successive targets from the highest level 
of government down to the lowest creates enormous added pressure on 
local officials.  As the two scholars explained, in setting targets 
for low population growth or low birth rates, each level of 
government sets a target for the lower level that gives them a 
comfortable buffer for achieving their own target, resulting in the 
targets becoming more extreme and difficult to achieve at the lowest 
levels.  Mu and Chen note that this requires local family planning 
officials to come up with "new schemes" to try and reach their 
targets, which may include special incentive programs, but could 
also include coercive measures.  In addition, Mu and Chen 
speculated, this system has resulted in local officials aggressively 
pursuing low birth rates without considering long term demographic 
consequences, for example, the extremely low fertility rates of 
around 1.2 in some areas. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Certain monitoring and enforcement practices force couples 
to choose either to have an induced abortion or pay the heavy 
financial and administrative penalties associated with an 
out-of-plan birth.  Many localities require regular pregnancy 
testing for women of child bearing age who are not eligible to have 
more children. (NOTE: The pregnancy check or reproductive health 
check-up is a common practice, especially in localities with 
population pressure.  Local officials sometimes conduct the 
check-ups under the name of "providing family planning services." 
END NOTE.)  In several provinces, including Anhui, Hebei, 
Heilongjiang, Hubei, Hunan, Jilin, Liaoning, and Ningxia, local 
family planning regulations explicitly call for the "termination of 
pregnancy" upon discovery of an unauthorized pregnancy, without 
additional guidance on how to enforce this rule. 
 
¶10. (SBU)  Although most sources agree that there are probably cases 
of coercive local family planning enforcement that violate the law, 
it is very difficult to find reports or documentation of such abuses 
unless they have occurred on a large scale.  One prominent case of 
coercive enforcement was reported in 2007 in Guangxi Province, where 
alleged abuses by local officials triggered a series of riots (REFS 
D/E/F).  According to press reports at the time, Bobai County 
 
BEIJING 00002808  003 OF 005 
 
 
officials, facing administrative penalties for their poor family 
planning performance, launched a campaign to reign in excess births 
with "steely determination, steely methods and steely discipline" 
against violators.  The mayor of one city in Bobai was also quoted 
as calling for the stabilization of the low birth rate "by all means 
necessary."  The new regulations and penalties that were reported by 
the local media included much higher fines, seizure of property 
including furniture, livestock, and rice stores if fines were not 
paid, and targeted sterilization.  Family planning teams were also 
reported to have destroyed personal property and homes in the 
process of collecting fines.  Press coverage further noted that 
resentment over these measures was heaped on top of public anger at 
the double standard of local officials who over time had elected to 
have excess children with impunity.  Following the riots, NPFPC 
issued an official statement that said they were investigating the 
case of Bobai County and would "deal with" the situation.  In 
January 2008, Chinese media reported that 104 Bobai County officials 
had been dismissed from their positions, due to personal violations 
of family planning regulations including having had unauthorized 
children.  None of the dismissals, however, were directly attributed 
to malfeasance in enforcement of family planning regulations. 
(COMMENT:  The fact that this case was reported in the state-owned 
and state-controlled media signals that there was high-level 
government or Party dissatisfaction with Bobai County officials for 
allowing family planning enforcement to trigger social unrest.  END 
COMMENT) 
 
 
SHIFT TOWARDS INCENTIVES FOR COMPLIANCE 
-------------------- ------------------ 
 
¶11. (SBU) An important shift in family planning enforcement since 
2006 has been the diversification of methods for achieving family 
planning objectives.  In his work report to the National People's 
Congress (NPC) in March 2008, Premier Wen Jiabao emphasized the 
expansion of rewards and subsidies, noting, "we will fully implement 
the special assistance system for families that comply with family 
planning regulations, extend the coverage of the reward system for 
rural families that comply with the regulations, implement the 
'fewer births equals faster prosperity' project in more areas, and 
raise the level of rewards and assistance."  Targeting poor rural 
areas, these national subsidy programs, or "Three Systems to Improve 
People's Livelihood" are seen as offering both positive incentives 
for complying with family planning policies and a means of 
supporting a rural social security system. 
 
¶12. (SBU) Within China's family planning regulatory framework, the 
broadest and longest-standing subsidy is the Social Support Program, 
in which individuals who have complied with family planning policies 
(by having borne only the allowed number of children) receive a 
monthly cash stipend beginning at age 60 for both men and women. 
This stipend is seen as both a reward for compliance with family 
planning rules and an extra resource for supporting rural old-age 
social security.  (NOTE: In rural areas, where the elderly rely 
primarily on their families for care and support, this social 
support compensates couples who have had one child for the loss of 
resources they might traditionally have received from their many 
children.  END NOTE) Piloted in 2004, this basic subsidy was 
implemented nationally in 2006.  By the end of 2008, 8.33 million 
individuals had qualified for this subsidy, with a total of RMB 5.2 
billion (USD 761.5 million) in rewards distributed.  Beginning in 
January 2009, the amount of the social subsidy payment increased 
from RMB 600 (USD 88) per person per year to RMB 720 (USD 105). 
(NOTE: According to the government's annual Statistical Communique, 
in 2008, China's annual per capita net income for rural households 
was RMB 4,761 (USD 697), with over 40 million rural Chinese living 
below the poverty line with an annual per capita net income below 
RMB 1,196 (USD 175).  Since the family planning social subsidy is 
awarded to each person individually, a couple qualifying for the 
award would receive a combined RMB 1,440 (USD 210) per year, which 
would represent a sizeable proportion of a rural household income. 
END NOTE) Deputy Director General RU Xiaomei of NPFPC's 
International Cooperation Department told ESTHOffs during a July 31 
meeting that there have been proposals to move up the eligibility 
for receiving rewards to age 50, to further sweeten the incentive. 
 
 
¶13.  (SBU) Another subsidy program, known as the "Fewer Births 
Equals Faster Prosperity" program, is aimed at giving poor rural 
families who have fewer children than they are entitled an economic 
boost through incentives, such as lump sum cash awards, loans to 
invest in income-generating activities, or free job training.  The 
program now includes eight provinces and autonomous regions in 
western China including Inner Mongolia, Hainan, Sichuan, Yunnan, 
Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang.  In 2008, the government 
expanded the scope of the program's target group from "couples who 
 
BEIJING 00002808  004 OF 005 
 
 
can have three children but voluntarily have one child less" to 
"couples who can have three children but voluntarily have one child 
or two children less," offering greater awards and an earlier 
opportunity for eligibility, and an added incentive for those 
households in poor western provinces to limit their family size.  A 
precondition for this subsidy is that couples must submit a written 
"commitment," or contract, that they will not have more children, as 
well as submit documentation from a hospital or family planning 
clinic that sterilization or some other long-term contraceptive 
method has been carried out.  Between 2006 and 2008, the program 
enrolled 280,000 individuals with a total of RMB 840 million (USD 
123 million) in rewards disbursed.  If a couple in the program is 
found to have an additional child they must pay back all benefits 
received. 
 
¶14. (SBU) The most recently-established social subsidy, known as the 
"Special Assistance Program," is awarded to parents in cases where 
their only child has suffered a serious disability or death. 
Initially piloted in 10 provinces, implementation of the special 
assistance program was extended nationally starting in 2008.  The 
assistance fund is RMB 80-100 per person per month after the mother 
reaches age 49. The theory is that the subsidy will help support 
parents whose child is rendered unable to work or provide for his 
parents in old age; thus, couples who later give birth to or adopt 
another child lose eligibility for the reward.  By the end of 2008, 
this special subsidy has assisted about 157,000 couples and 
distributed RMB 170 million (USD 25 million) in assistance funds. 
 
 
IMPROVING SERVICES AND ACCESS FOR MIGRANT WOMEN 
------------------------ ---------------------- 
 
¶15. (SBU) Peking University (PKU) Professor CHEN Gong told ESTHOffs 
that an important shift beginning in 2008 was an increased emphasis 
on equality in the provision of family planning services, including 
a special focus on making basic family planning services, such as 
regular gynecological examinations, prenatal checkups, and 
postpartum visits, more freely available to rural and migrant women. 
 At a national conference on rural family planning work in December 
2007, then NPFPC Minister ZHANG Weiqing released findings that over 
60 percent of family planning violations were committed by the 
migrant population, highlighting the Central Government's concerns 
over the lack of a system for managing family planning among 
migrants.  Migrants also have been reported to receive unsafe or 
poor quality services because of their inability to access free 
public services near their place of temporary residence.  In his 
2008 work report to the NPC, Premier Wen emphasized the twin goals 
to "improve services for the floating population and to tighten 
supervision of them to ensure that they comply with the family 
planning policy." 
 
¶16. (SBU) The State Council recently released a new set of national 
family planning regulations for the migrant population, to become 
effective October 1, 2009.  The new regulations make family planning 
services including reproductive health information and services, 
contraceptive devices, and family planning technical services 
available and free to migrants in their temporary residences. 
Previously, migrants were often forced to return to the place of 
their legal household registrations (hukou) to receive services. 
(NOTE: China's "hukou" system limits the ability of many of Chinese 
citizens to access public services in places other than the 
government-authorized place where their household is registered. 
Changing this location on record is time consuming and difficult, 
and most of the 100+ million migrant workers in China have simply 
chosen to forgo access to services in exchange for better employment 
opportunities.  END NOTE) 
 
¶17. (SBU) In addition to basic services, the new regulation 
specifically allows migrants to register for the "birth service 
certificate" (REF A) of a first child (which can now be obtained 
after conception but is required in order to receive access to free 
or subsidized prenatal care and delivery services) in their place of 
temporary residence, easing the burden on migrants who previously 
had to make a long and expensive journey back home to register. 
Migrants still have to return to their original hukou location to 
apply for permission to have a second child, unless before migrating 
they had already obtained permission from family planning 
authorities in their hometowns.  Babies born are still registered as 
residents of their parents' official hukou location, with migrant 
status from birth. 
 
¶18. (SBU) The new regulation also establishes communications 
channels between family planning authorities at both the temporary 
residence and at registered "hukou" locations.  The regulation 
specifically prohibits authorities from requiring migrants to return 
to their hometowns for check-ups on contraceptive and pregnancy 
 
BEIJING 00002808  005 OF 005 
 
 
status, stating that these regular pregnancy tests for monitoring 
unauthorized pregnancy should be conducted at the place of temporary 
residence.  The results would later be reported back to the 
hometowns by the family planning officials who administer them. 
(COMMENT:  In addition to providing a mechanism for local family 
planning officials to manage and monitor practices among migrants, 
officials in each location ("hukou" and temporary) would likely use 
this system to exchange information on a migrant's compliance 
record.  END COMMENT) 
 
 
A NEW FOCUS: CUSTOMER SERVICE AND COUNSELING 
------------- ------------------------------ 
 
¶19. (SBU) NPFPC's DDG Ru explained to ESTHOffs that in addition to 
increasing the accessibility of basic family planning services for 
migrants, the government is also taking steps to improve the quality 
of family planning service delivery mechanisms by adding social 
workers to local family planning teams, which currently include only 
administrative and medical staff.  According to Ru, the social 
workers are expected to go beyond providing technical services. 
Social workers will play a "guidance" and "counseling" role and 
provide family planning advice, including information about 
contraceptives. 
 
¶20.  (SBU) Like PKU's Chen and Mu, Khan also noted China's growing 
emphasis on quality of care and service.  Khan described UNFPA's 
work in advocacy and capacity building for informed choice over 
birth control methods.  According to Khan, the choice of 
contraceptive method in China is traditionally determined by family 
planning officials.  Under the model UNFPA is working to implement, 
couples should be provided at least three options for birth control, 
with the pros and cons of each method clearly explained before the 
couple is asked to make a choice.  Khan argued that both penalties 
for unauthorized births and financial incentives for limiting family 
size are only short term solutions to family planning.  Khan noted 
these policies also should follow a rights-based approach that 
emphasizes greater awareness of options and the consequences of 
different choices. 
 
¶21. (SBU) Khan also told ESTHOffs that a related objective of 
UNFPA's work in improving quality of service delivery is to increase 
the range and flexibility of intervention options that family 
planning officials pursue.   A complicating factor in this effort is 
that, at the county level, family planning falls under the Civil 
Administration Bureau, so the officials in charge of implementing 
service delivery often have an administrative rather than a public 
health background.  To promote a more rights-based approach to 
family planning work that goes beyond low fertility rate targets, 
Khan said UNFPA is raising awareness of the consequences of 
extremely low fertility rates and is also working with NPFPC on 
their current review and reform of management and evaluation 
indicators. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶22. (SBU) COMMENT:  While enforcement of family planning in China 
continues to include punitive and coercive measures, since 2006, the 
government has attempted to improve enforcement and compliance with 
birth limitation restrictions by offering more positive incentives. 
Reward and subsidy programs have been effective in increasing 
compliance and participation in family planning among poor rural 
households.  China's growing affluence has resulted in increasing 
numbers who can afford to freely make family planning decisions in 
spite of existing penalties.  Additional work on revising the 
overall evaluation structure for family planning performance 
remains, however, so that it does not create perverse incentives for 
forceful and abusive enforcement of family planning rules. 
Citizens' rights in this area, as well as more serious and even 
criminal penalties against those who violate them, have yet to be 
clearly defined at the central level.  END COMMENT. 
 
HUNTSMAN