The government of China's most populous province has rejected proposals to ease the one-child rules and allow couples who were themselves single children to have a second child.

The huge population prevented Henan Province from loosening the birth control restrictions, said Deputy Governor Wang Jumei.

The population of Henan reached 97.68 million at the end of 2005. Henan had entered a fourth birth peak, with 1.1 million babies born each year, said Wang.

The net increase in the population was more than 500,000 a year, equal to the population of a medium-sized county, added Wang.

Henan avoided a 32.6-million population increase between 1971 and 2004 due to the birth control policy, according to the provincial family planning and birth control committee.

Some local authorities in China have enacted regulations allowing couples who were themselves only children to have a second child.

Deputy head of Beijing Municipal Population and Family Planning Committee Li Yunli said in September that she hoped all "only child" couples would have a second child to help solve labor shortages and deal with challenges represented by the aging population.

East China's Jiangsu province had such a policy as early as 1985.

According to the 11th five-year plan (2006-2010) on aging, China's senior population will top 174 million by 2010, accounting for 12.78 percent of the total population, compared with 143 million at present.

China could not rely on more births to solve aging population issues, said Yu Xuejun with the State Population and Family Planning Commission.

The best solutions were to boost economic development and build an effective social security system, especially in rural areas, Yu said.

China's family planning policy encourages couples, apart from those of ethnic minority groups, to have only one child to restrain population expansion. Couples that meet certain conditions can have a second child.

The central authorities have delegated policy-making power on the issue to local governments.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2006)