The Chinese government is to spend 4.9 billion yuan (US$628 million) on improving family planning services in rural areas, said an official from the National Population and Family Planning Commission on Wednesday.

At a press conference to discuss "The Fourth China Reproductive Health/Family Planning New Technologies and Products Expo", the official said the money would be used to enlarge the family planning service centers, especially in the remote poor western regions, and technological upgrading.

The money will be allocated by central government annually through to 2010, said the official.

With the theme of "health, harmony, innovation and development", the expo will be held in Beijing on July 11, World Population Day.

It will be hosted by National Population and Family Planning Commission of China and supported by the United Nations Population Fund.

(Xinhua News Agency March 8, 2007)