China Says Its Gender Imbalance "Most Serious" in the World

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese health authorities on Wednesday described the gender imbalance among newborns as "the most serious and prolonged" in the world, a direct ramification of the country's strict one-child policy.

The statement will add to growing calls for the government to scrap all family planning restrictions in the world's most populous nation, which many scholars say faces a demographic crisis.

Like most Asian nations, China has a traditional bias for sons. Many families abort female fetuses and abandon baby girls to ensure their one child is a son, so about 118 boys are born for every 100 girls, against a global average of 103 to 107.

"Our country has the most serious gender imbalance that is most prolonged and affecting the most number of people,"

It acknowledged that women were transferring blood samples overseas to determine the genders of their babies as part of an "underground chain for profit."

"This has further exacerbated the gender imbalance in our country's birth structure," the agency said.

Researchers have warned that large sex-ratio imbalances could lead to instability as more men...