On May 31,a key meeting of the Communist Party of China unveiled a policy that would allow all couples to have up to three children.

The move is expected to maximize the population's role in driving economic and social growth.The three-child policy is also expected to prevent the decline in the nation's birthrate and deal with the challenge of a rapidly aging population,China Daily reported.

China's annual number of newborns has fallen for four years in a row.The country's total birthrate(the average number of children born to each woman)stood-at 1.3 in 2020.The number is below the rate of 2.1 that would maintain a stable population,according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The declining birthrate has also brought a sharp increase in the proportion of the population aged 60 or above,rising from 10.3 percent to 18.7 percent in the past decade.An increasingly elderly population will cause a lack of young labor force.Therefore,it's not good for economic growth,according to Chen Youhua,a professor at Nanjing University.

In fact,the new birth policy is a step to further relax the family planning policy.The one-child policy was introduced in the 1970s and aimed to control the fast growing population.Then in 2013 China allowed couples to have second child if either parent was an only child,and three years later,all couples were allowed to have two children.

However,not all people have shown their support for this latest policy.Many couples complained about the rising costs of raising a child.A netizen named Qinfeng commented,'High cost of education and both the physical and mental exhaustion stopped me from having more than one child.'Also,many women hesitate to give birth because that could mean sacrificing their career prospects,according to Mu Guangzong,a professor at Peking University.

In that case,Mu noted that it is better to take supporting measures with the three-child policy,such as more preferential policies for couples that would ease their parental burden.