China's health commission is getting rid of three offices that were previously dedicated to family planning, it announced late on Sunday, the latest signal that Beijing may further reduce restrictions on childbirth to combat an aging population.
State-media has hinted in recent weeks that China, the world's most populous nation, may be preparing to end its decadeslong policy of determining the number of children that couples can have.
Last month, speculation of a further easing mounted after a new stamp unveiled by China Post featured a family of two pigs with three cheerful piglets, followed weeks later by a draft of the civil code dropping all mention of family planning.