Opinion | Outcry over blunders of China’s one-child policy

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Children pass a birth control sign in China. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:50pm, 19 Dec 2012Updated: 4:12pm, 2 Nov 2015

China is considering changes to its one-child policy, with government advisory bodies drafting proposals – a decision relished by many, according to media reports last month.

However, two independent incidents in Guangdong and Shandong reported by mainland media shed light on the country’s questionable execution of the policy.

The strange link between one-child policy and a university restaurant

In Panyu District, Guangzhou, the local Food and Drug Administration department requested the owner of a campus restaurant at SunYat-Sen University to present the university principal’s Planned Parenthood certificate (official proof of birth control) in order to obtain a licence extension and stay in business, Southern Metropolis Daily reported on Tuesday.

“They are two completely different things! The university principal’s Planned Parenthood certificate is his private business. What does it have to do with our restaurant? It makes no sense,” said the food vendor.

Panyu Food and Drug Administration issued a legal guideline on August 30 which specified that the Planned Parenthood certificate of the legal representative is required in the application and extension procedure of a Food Hygiene Licence or Pharmaceutical Trade Licence.