Health and family planning authorities of Yichang, Central China's Hubei province, recently issued an "open letter" urging young members of the Party and youth league who work for the local government to have two children and the older ones to encourage their grown-up children to do the same, in order to set an example for the rest of the people.

The letter reminds one of the promotional campaign launched across China in the 1980s to urge couples to observe the one-child policy. The family planning policy was changed in January this year, allowing all couples to have two children,

True, Yichang has a low birth rate; the average is much lower than one child per woman. Its Changyang and Wufeng counties began implementing the two-child policy on a trial basis in 2003 and 2004, respectively, but failed to raise the birth rate. Therefore, it appears the "open letter" is an overreaction to local demographic problems and a renewed effort to encourage couples to have two children.

Advanced countries' experiences show that raising the birth rate is not an easy job. Japan has taken a series of measures to encourage young couples to have children, but has failed to reverse the falling birth rate.

Whether or not to have a child is directly related to people's attitude toward childbearing and the cost of raising a child. So, an official document that is only good on paper will not encourage people to have more children.

China's low birth rate is not just a result of its previous one-child policy. Education, prosperity and busy lifestyles have also made people averse to large families.

To make couples change their minds, the government should therefore take systematic measures, such as improving social security and welfare, building a service-oriented government and putting in place supportive facilities for the two-child policy.