No stopping birth decline, expert says

The number of births in China is expected to continue to fall this year, despite its being the third year since the implementation of a national policy designed to encourage couples to have a second child, according to the president of the China Population Association.

"The number of people born this year will undoubtedly continue to fall, and it will do so over the next few years," said Zhai Zhenwu, who also is a prominent professor of population studies at Renmin University of China.

The number of births in China increased in 2016 - a total of 17.86 million, the largest number since 2000. The universal second child policy, introduced to counter a dwindling workforce and the aging of the population, was enacted at the beginning of that year.