Health minister: China will continue to implement fertility-friendly policies

China will continue to have a relatively abundant workforce, and sustained efforts will be made to foster a fertility-friendly society, Health Minister Lei Haichao said on Monday.

Although China's total population has declined for four consecutive years, the country is still home to 1.405 billion people and will remain a major population power for years to come, Lei said during a news conference held by the State Council Information Office.

With more than 10 million students enrolling in colleges and universities each year — a sign of expanding access to higher education, Lei said the nation is building a growing workforce of highly skilled workers.

Meanwhile, the annual number of newborns has held at about 8 million, despite an overall downward trend.

"Compared with other developed and developing countries, the number of nations with this level of births is still very small, so China will still have a relatively ample labor force in the future," he said.

Lei stressed that China will continue to roll out fertility-friendly measures to ease the burden of giving birth to, raising, and educating children.

So far, more than 30 million families have benefited from the fertility subsidy policy launched last year.

Over the next five years, he said more efforts will be made to integrate nursery and kindergarten care services and to support communities and employers in setting up nursery care facilities, so that residents can access such services more conveniently and at an affordable price.

It is also important to promote a positive view on marriage and fertility, he added.