As soon as the new policy to provide an allowance for Chinese rural old couples with one child or two daughters was mentioned, Laurie Zabin began nodding her head.

"Yes, I have heard of it," she said.

Though she is not quite sure about the details of the policy, the Johns Hopkins University professor, like many others attending the International Forum on Population and Development, said she has learned about the policy before coming to China and hailed it an important development in China's policy.

Experts speculate that without the family planning policy, China's population would be nearing 2 billion. But some rural families with one child or two girls suffered hard times because they lacked male laborers.

Simmons said she could fully understand rural couples' preference for boys with all the farming work.

"They have taken the responsibility in reducing the populationsize. It is progressive for the government to recognize their responsibility to reward them," she said.

"China seems to have two needs and what you have done is to combine the needs in a very positive way," she said. "You meet the need to care for the old, and at the same time, you encourage people to understand the benefits of the small family."

China launched the policy this July in 15 provinces and municipalities. The program provides 50 yuan (six US dollars) eachmonth to rural parents above the age of 60 with one child or two girls. So far 353,000 people have received the money.

The family planning policy has been in place for more than 30 years. But the government has mainly promoted the policy by severely punishing those who break it.

"Instead of punishment, the government now switched to the idea of encouragement, and that really goes with my philosophy, "said Ruth Simmons, professor with University of Michigan.

The ongoing forum was organized by China's National Populationand Family Planning Commission, drawing some 400 world leaders andexperts on population issue.

Source: Xinhua