Currently China allows couples to have two children and many local governments are also lenient about couples having a third child. However, recently, a couple in Shandong Province gave birth to their third child and was fined.
Wang and his wife, who lived in Chengwu County of Shandong, gave birth to their third child on January 5, 2017. The Local Health and Family Planning Bureau imposed a fine of 64,626 yuan (US$9,548) in social maintenance fees, also known as the fine for breaking the family planning policy.
Although the Wang couple could not afford the fees, the county court issued an administrative ruling in June 2018 to demand that the Wang couple pay the fees. On January 10, 2019, the court enforced the ruling by freezing all of the couple’s bank deposits. As of the enforcement date, the couple’s bank balance was only 22,957.68 yuan (US$3,392). This included the balance of 131.68 yuan (US$19) in a WeChat payment, which the court also froze.
The incident received much attention in cyberspace. One netizen said that the local government needs money. “This is the latest madness and whoever knows China will understand.”
Source: Central News Agency, February 12, 2019
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201902120359.aspx