China, Needing Babies, Eases Limits on Births

 

需要嬰兒的中國放寬生育限制

【摘要2023.4.21.五.自由】◎張沛元

In China, a country that limits most couples to three children, the province of Sichuan is making a bold pitch to try to get its citizens to procreate: have as many babies as you want, even if you are unmarried.

在限制大多數夫婦頂多只能生3胎的中國，四川省正採取大膽的推銷招數，試圖讓民眾增產：你想生幾個就生幾個，沒結婚也行。

The initiative, which came into effect this February, points to the renewed urgency of China’s efforts to spark a baby boom after its population shrank last year for the first time since a national famine in the 1960s.

這個在今年2月生效的措施，表明中國在去年出現自1960年代全國大饑荒以來的首次人口萎縮後，再次迫切需要推動一波嬰兒潮。

But the measures have been met with a wave of public skepticism, ridicule and debate, highlighting the challenges China faces as it seeks to stave off a shrinking work force that could imperil economic growth.

但這些（催生）措施招致大量民眾質疑、訕笑與議論，凸顯中國在尋求避免可能危及經濟成長的勞動力萎縮上所面臨的挑戰。

新聞辭典

make a pitch：慣用語，決心獲得，決意說服。例句：The city made a pitch to host Winter Olympics but failed to become a candidate.（該市決心爭取主辦冬季奧運但未能成為候選市。）

point to/towards something：片語，表明可能是；顯示…可能會發生。

stave off：片語，（通常指暫時地）阻擋，趕走，避開；推遲。例句：The company wasn’t able to stave off bankruptcy.（這家公司無法避免破產。）