Shandong births drop, hinting at trend

Births in Shandong province - a barometer of the national birth trend - are believed to have slumped last year, following a baby boom, lending credence to projections of a substantial drop in China's total births.

"The number of births in Shandong in 2018 is expected to have fallen by 15 to 20 percent. The proportion of second children is also likely to have shrunk," said Cui Shuyi, head of the population research institute at the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences.

Shandong has established a reputation for fertility in recent years, with new births - following the change of family planning policy in late 2015 - accounting for more than 10 percent of China's total births in 2016 and 2017.