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c) Agriculture
16. The one area where the reformists can still claim almost
total success is agriculture and Zhao laid strong stress on the
long term nature of present policies. The importance of this is
very great since 80% of the population are dependent on it.
This continues to be offered as the main proof that the
reformists are right.
d) Population
17. Nowadays an integral part of Chinese economic plans is
population control and here Zhao announced a draconian policy:
"We must strictly control second births and prevent additional
births by all means". This means enforced sterilisation. Such
a policy was first announced in Guangdong in May. We now know
that it is also being applied in at least Guangxi, Fujian, Inner
Mongolia and Tianjin.
Education and Culture
18. The development of education received much stress at the
Congress. Zhao announced that the State Council would increase
investment in this area year by year: salaries of intellectuals
are also going to be "gradually" increased. Between now and 1987,
it is planned that the number of undergraduates in China's regular
universities will rise from 1.15 million to 1.76 million. Numbers
in the specialist and technical universities run by the provinces
will see a far larger increase, from 0.64 million to 2.37 million.
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/The