A senior Chinese official from National Population and Family Planning Commission says the country is to take forceful measures to balance the currently unbalanced sex ratio in 2010.

Zhao Baige, deputy director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, told reporters the "care for girls" project is to be promoted throughout the country to protect the rights and interests of girls.

At the same time, crackdown will be intensified on illegal sex determination and sex selective abortion.

In addition, the construction of the social insurance system must be expedited in the rural areas so as to change people's preference for boys, since boys are often considered more able to take care of their parents when they grow up.

A national survey four years ago shows there were 120 baby boys for every 100 baby girls, far from the natural ratio of 107 to 103.
 
(CRI July 15, 2004)