BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhuanet) -- China will continue to keep a low birthrate while make efforts to improve the health of newborns in 2005, according to a report on the national economic and social development plan which has been submitted to China's top legislature for approval.

    The report says the natural population growth rate should be confined to 7 per thousand in 2005. This figure was set higher than the actual growth rate for last year after taking into consideration several major factors.

    "China has a large population, which makes keeping the birthrate low a monumental task," says the report on the implementation of the 2004 plan for national economic and social development and on the 2005 draft plan for national economic and social development, submitted Saturday for approval to the ongoingsession of the National People's Congress.

    It says more women are now at childbearing age in China, and this will create pressure on the birthrate.

    In addition, it is still hard to carry out family planning workamong the floating population and it is extremely difficult to maintain a low birthrate in rural areas and in poverty-stricken areas in the central and western regions, says the report.

    The report also says continuous efforts will be made to improveprenatal and postnatal care, improve the ability to prevent birth defects and provide better reproductive health services to addressthe problem of the high rate of birth defects in some areas.

    According to the report, the natural population growth rate in China was 5.87 per thousand in 2004.

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