With the current changes and efforts toward China’s “improvement” (banning thin plastic bags, controlling spitting, greening the city, and a smoking ban in the works) all before the 2008 Olympics, it isn’t a big surprise that China is also starting to reconsider its one-child policy. The government is considering gradually raising this limit on the number of children a couple can have. Whether or not this is an attempt to soften its human rights image, these gradual changes could potentially lead to sizable consequences…but nothing is official yet. China is still working on possible strategies to change the one-child-per-couple policy, but has yet to declare a solution among decision makers. Jim Yardley of the NY Times wrote an article today on the topic:

“We want incrementally to have this change,” Ms. Zhao said, according to Reuters. “I cannot answer at what time or how, but this has become a big issue among decision makers.”

Originally, this policy was created to contain China’s massive population, but this has also led to an imbalance in both gender and age, with a disproportional population of males, and as the larger earlier generations age, elderly. Yardley writes:

Chinese officials have sought to curb the excesses and abuses and have argued that the one-child restriction has prevented roughly 400 million births and allowed the country to prosper and better live within its resources. But China’s fertility rate is now extremely low, and the population is rapidly aging, especially in urban areas. Experts have warned that China is steadily moving toward a demographic crisis with too many old people in need of expensive services and too few young workers paying taxes to meet those bills.

Since this policy was established, the rules have already started to bend to a degree. Currently, the policy allows urban spouses to have two children if both spouses were from one-child families. In addition, rural parents are allowed a second child if their first was a girl and minorities are allowed two or more children.

Although China is serious about relaxing this child-limit, officials still fear any drastic changes could lead to a major population boom. With a current population of over 1.3 billion people, the last thing China needs is a ‘boom’ in its population.

The new Beijing airport terminal is set to open this week, and it should be very interesting to see what the reviews look like. It is well ahead of schedule and is the latest in a string of pre-Olympics openings that has included the Water Cube, Line 5 subway and the new National Theater.

Here’s what the AP had to say about the terminal:

The huge, airy interior will have 64 Western and Chinese restaurants, 84 retail shops, and a state-of-the-art-baggage handling system. A high-speed commuter train will whisk passengers into the city, while the runway is capable of handling Airbus‘ huge A380 superjumbo…

China’s capital desperately needed a new terminal even without the Olympics, with double-digit economic growth rapidly outpacing infrastructure expansion plans. [Dong Zhiyi, deputy general manager of the Capital Airport Holding Co] said he expects the whole airport to receive 64 million visitors this year. That is up from 50 million last year and 20 million in 2000.

They have 64 restaurants?! Hopefully that doesn’t mean they are preparing for long departure delays…

If you think your business is being strangled in bureaucratic red tape, wait until you hear Erika Helms’ story.
Ms. Helms, executive director of the Jane Goodall Institute China, tells just how difficult it is treading water as an NGO in this Powwow podcast, produced last week by bizCult.com at AmCham-China’s Young Professionals Brown Bag Lunch Series.

 AmCham member Matt Young of Bizcult.com

According to a report in AmCham’s China Wire newsletter, China will extend its ban on the airing of foreign cartoons during prime time by one hour, its latest initiative to “spur the domestic cartoon industry”, said a circular by the country’s TV watchdog. According to the circular issued by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), no foreign cartoons or programs introducing foreign cartoons can be shown from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the “golden hours”, on all domestic cartoon channels and children’s channels starting May 1. The original ban, imposed by SARFT in Aug. 2006, required airing of foreign cartoons to be only before 5 p.m. or after 8 p.m. The airing of cartoons co-produced by domestic and foreign producers will require approval from SARFT for the 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. time slot starting May 1. Only domestic cartoons approved by SARFT can be aired during “golden hours.”

Zhang Lianlian, a researcher of the Shanxi Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, writes an article about Shanxi’s ecological environment. You can find a link in AmCham’s China Wire.  About 2.48 cubic meter of water will be wasted per ton of coal explored in Shanxi province. By 2005, about 8.77b tons of coal had been explored in Shanxi province. Shanxi’s groundwater level is going down. Coal mining has caused very serious damage to water resources.

Prior to Spring Festival, AmCham-China sent out an e-mail to our members telling them how to join in the effort to help those affected by the brutal storms that rocked southern China this winter. Elizabeth Knup, co-chair of AmCham-China’s CSR Forum, helped put the wheels in motion, and tons of other people helped along the way as well.

Many member companies had already started to respond before the notice went out, and others who had been looking for ways to get involved used the call as an impetus. Among the companies that made contributions to help out Chinese communities in need were Wal-Mart, who donated US$1,000,000 on February 5; O’Melveny & Myers LLP, who held a charity drive to raise funds; BP donated RMB1,000,000 in cash and kind including generously contributed much-needed goods like anti-freeze to help with clean-up efforts; and Caterpillar Foundation, which gave US$150,000 in addition to the heavy-duty equipped that they provided to help clear roads.

AmCham is extremely proud of the efforts that its member companies made, and the examples above are only a small part of the total impact that US businesses had.

If you did something to help out the Chinese community in its time of need AmCham members want to know. Please add your stories in the comments section of this post, and if you are still looking for ways to get involved, we have information here.

The ‘Regulations on Internet Video and Audio Program Services’ which took effect January 31, 2008, were approved by both the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the Ministry of Information Industry. Under the new policy, web sites that provide video programming or allow users to upload video must obtain government permits, and applicants must be either state-owned or state-controlled companies.

AmCham-China members can read notes from a recent roundtable discussion about the regulations sponsored by AmCham’s Media and Entertainment Forum.

Half the Sky is working directly with MOCA to get immediate relief to orphanages in hard-hit areas of China affected by these year’s terrible snowstorms. American, Canadian and

Hong Kong companies can contribute to our efforts and also receive tax benefits. The outpouring of support for the children has been extraordinary but much more help is needed. More information on these pages - thank you!www.halfthesky.org/www.halfthesky.org/work/littlemouse.php
Posted by Jenny Bowen, executive director, Half the Sky Foundation

Anyone who has ever traveled during Spring Festival knows that even in the best of circumstances it is frustrating and difficult. Train tickets tend to sell out (often to hawkers who up the prices) and airports are crowded. Basically it’s like Thanksgiving in a country of nearly four times the population of the US.

This year’s blizzards have made a normally difficult situation nearly unbearable. Over at Managing the Dragon they do a good of conveying the problems the snows have caused for travel and potentially the economy, but for many Chinese the situation is more dangerous than simply making getting home tough. For people with not much money, living in places with rudimentary infrastructure, and often with no heat, this year’s blizzards have been nothing short of a disaster.

Hopefully you and your family are able to get out of town, if that’s where you are trying to head, or can stay warm if you are staying put. However, even if weather conditions are slowing you down or making you a little grumpy, please remember that AmCham members are fortunate to be a position where snow only inconveniences us, rather than putting us in severe peril.

If you would like to help out those in this country who are less fortunate than we are, please take a look at the list here of ways to donate.

Enjoy your holidays and stay safe and warm.