China won't loosen family-planning policy yet

China has not decided to launch a pilot program to loosen the family-planning policy, and the central government has not accepted applications from local governments to allow couples to have a second baby if either spouse is a single child, authorities said on Tuesday.

There will be little change in the country's family-planning policy for now, Luo Wenzhi, the director of the Guangdong provincial population and family-planning commission, was quoted as saying by Southern Metropolis Daily.

Luo said changing the family-planning policy needs to be approved by the central government, and local governments have no right to change it themselves.

Zhang Feng, former director of the Guangdong provincial population and family planning commission, said in March that Guangdong was working to get permission for a policy that allows couples to have two children as long as one of them is the only child of his or her parents.

Many experts have expressed their worries that China's economic growth could be slowed by a rapidly aging society and asked for the central government to rethink the population policy.