China offers parents $1500 in bid to boost births

Parents in China are being offered 3,600 yuan (£375; $500) a year for each of their children under the age of three in the government’s first nationwide subsidy aimed at boosting birth rates.

The scheme, which was announced on Monday, will offer parents a total of up to 10,800 yuan per child.

The policy will be applied retroactively from the start of this year, Beijing’s state broadcaster CCTV said.

Families with children born between 2022 and 2024 can also apply for partial subsidies.

The move follows efforts by local governments to boost birth rates in China.

The handouts will help around 20 million families with the cost of raising children, according to state media.

The country’s birth rate has been falling even since the ruling Communist Party abolished its controversial one-child policy almost a decade ago.

The country’s 1.4 billion population is also ageing fast, adding to Beijing’s demographic concerns.