China plans to crackdown on the mainland rich and famous if they continue to violate the country's one-child policy, Chinese media reported.
The new policy aims at imposing stiffer fines and subjecting celebrities to public criticism. China also plans to bar celebrities and other wealthy people who violate the rule from receiving awards such as 'honorary citizen,' Yu Xuejun, director for the National Population and Family Planning Commission, was quoted as saying in Xinhua, China's official news agency.
China's one-child policy seeks to keep the country's population, now 1.3 billion, at about 1.7 billion by 2050. Ethnic minorities and farmers are the only groups legally exempt from the rule nationwide.
Methods of enforcing the policy, such as fines and work demotions, vary among Chinese provinces and cities. In some areas, fines are calculated based on family income.
Officials in the Chinese province of Zhejiang earlier this month said they plan to name publicly wealthy families who pay fines to have additional children
Xinhua also quoted Mu Weiyong, vice director of the family planning commission in the Liaoning province, as saying, "Celebrities and rich people's honours should be abolished and government officials should be removed from their posts if they have more than one child"
