Beijing delivers 100,000 more newborns in 2016

BEIJING, March 22 (Xinhua) -- About 100,000 more babies were born in Beijing hospitals last year compared with 2015, local authorities said Wednesday.

According to the city's health and family planning commission, Beijing had about 280,000 newborns in 2016, an increase of 62 percent from 2015. About 30 percent of the newborns were not the first child in their families.

Last year's data was the first after China ended its decades-long one-child policy.

Rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality and mortality among children under five also dropped last year.

Beijing has also pledged to improve maternal and child health services by increasing the number of obstetricians, midwives and hospital beds.

According to a document released by the National Health and Family Planning Commission in January, 18.46 million babies were born in Chinese hospitals last year, the highest since 2000 and 1.31 million more than 2015.