Government officials in Henan who fail to implement policies to control the disproportionate sex ratio at birth will be ineligible for promotion and could be demoted, a spokesman for the provincial population and family planning commission said yesterday.

Wang Jieying, head of the commission's communications department, said: "We will launch a six-month campaign in March to assess the situation, after which we will announce our results.

"Officials must enforce the government's strict policies on managing the sex ratio," he said.

Since the 1980s, the number of girls and boys born in Henan - China's most populous province - has been hugely imbalanced, he said.

The acceptable birth ratio in China is 103-107 boys for every 100 girls, with an alert raised if the figure rises to over 110 boys for every 100 girls.

Wang declined to give the current ratio in Henan, but said it was above the alert level.

The crackdown on officials in Henan is part of the nationwide "Care for Girls" campaign launched in 2003 by the National Population and Family Planning Commission.

While China has a national family planning law, provincial governments can set their own regulations on how it is implemented.

Under Henan regulations, identifying the gender of a fetus is allowed only at designated medical centers and requests to do so must be approved by a committee comprising at least four experts, Wang said.

"As part of the campaign to deal with the gender imbalance, the government has banned all gender identification tests that are not medically essential, and has outlawed sex-selective abortions," he said.

If an abortion is necessary, a medical diagnosis detailing the reasons must be provided, and family planning authorities at the county level must be informed, he said.

During the campaign, the provincial family planning commission will work closely with health and security departments to prevent underground medical practices, he said.

Any doctor or medical institution that violates the policy will be punished and their equipment will be confiscated, he said.

Song Jian, a professor with the research center for population and development at Renmin University, said: "The traditional preference for sons is at the root of the birth ratio imbalance, and this can lead to social problems and pressures.

"The new policies should include the building of social security networks to help tackle challenges related to demographics."

In China's vast rural areas, the only social security available to most people is their family, Song said.

"Without medical insurance or a pension, the elderly are totally dependent on their children, and that is why they want sons."

Questions:

1. An alert is raised if a province’s birth ratio is what?

2. What measures is Henan province taking to prevent the increased number of baby boys?

3. Why do families in China have a preference for sons?

Answers:

1. When the figure rises above 110 boys for every 100 girls.

2. The government is banning all gender identification tests and outlawed sex-selective abortions.

3. Especially in rural areas the only social security available to most people is their family.