CEDAW/C/SR.36 English Page 9 (Ms. Zhang Zhong-an, China) 40. Since China was a developing country with 80 per cent of its population in rural areas, improving the status of rural women had been one of China's priorities. Recent achievements included the institution of the responsibility system in rural collective economies, which had spurred production and brought the initiative of rural women into full playi this, in turn, had wrought tremendous changes in the countryside. More detailed information on the complex question of the status of rural women would be contained in China's next report. 41. Ms. CARON asked the representative of China to give an example of illnesses that would make persons unfit for marriage, and to indicate whether women as well as men could institute divorce proceedings. 42. Ms. CORTES asked whether a minor child could choose his family name and whether consensual unions existed in China. She also would like a fuller explanation of what was meant by freedom of marriage. Also, it was her impression that criticism by public opinion was an important feature of Chinese society and she would appreciate further comment on that subject. The report and the additional information provided by the representative of China had given a good picture of the magnitude and complexity of the population question in China, present and future. 43. Ms. MUKAYIRANGA said that the family planning programme in China was a good programme that could serve as a model for other countries, such as her own, which had similar population problems and concerns. 44. Ms. PATINO observed that family planning was of concern in China as in developing countries everywhere, but she wondered whether a State had the right to limit the number of children permitted in each family, as China did, in view of article 16 of the Convention which guaranteed the right of couples to decide on the number and spacing of their children. 45. Ms. ZHANG Zhong-an (China) replying to the further questions put to her, said that nervous illnesses would be an example of illnesses that made persons unfit for marriage. The revised Marriage Law explicitly established the freedom of marriage as opposed to the tradition of arranged marriages. It was normally up to the parents to decide the family names taken by the children, but when children were old enough to express an opinion, they had the right to change their names. In view of the current population situation, Government policy was that there should be one child per couple. It should be noted, however, that in 1983 only 40 per cent of couples had observed the one-child rule and the other 60 per cent had had two and even three children. The remaining questions would be answered in the next report of China. 46. Ms. Zhang Zhong-an (China) withdrew. / ...