Word: million
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...also proved to be nearly as destructive: with many communities collectivized and converted from farming to steel production, food supply slipped behind population growth; by 1962 a massive famine had caused some 30 million deaths. In the aftermath, officials quietly resumed a propaganda campaign to limit population growth, only to be interrupted by the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution in 1966; it began it again in 1969. A push under the slogan "Late, Long and Few" was successful: China's population growth dropped by half from 1970 to 1976. But it soon leveled off, prompting officials to seek more drastic...
...imprisoned on charges his supporters say were retaliatory.) The law also offers longer maternity leave and other benefits to couples that delay childbearing. Those who volunteer to have only one child are awarded a "Certificate of Honor for Single-Child Parents." Since 1979, the law has prevented some 250 million births, saving China from a population explosion the nation would have difficulty accommodating...
...areas shortly after the one-child policy went into effect. The resulting gender imbalance widened after 1986, when ultrasound tests and abortions became easier to come by. China banned prenatal sex screening in 1994. Nonetheless, an April study published in the British Medical Journal found China still has 32 million more boys than girls under the age of 20. The total number of young people is a problem as well; factories have reported youth-labor shortages in recent years, a problem that will only get worse. In 2007 there were six adults of working age for every retiree...
...Friday's violence occurred as prospects for China's steel industry are turning around. The government's $586 billion stimulus package has set off a massive infrastructure-building spree, creating a huge demand for steel. In June crude-steel production hit nearly 50 million tons - 6% higher than in the previous year, according to the World Steel Association, and close to an all-time high. "Demand has just exploded in the first half of this year as a result of the government's stimulus package and bank lending," says Jim Lennon, a Macquarie Bank analyst. "Steel demand is massive...
...largest producer of the commodity. Now Chinese officials say the country has more production capability than markets at home and abroad can support. In February, Luo Bingsheng, secretary general of the China Iron and Steel Association, said China's steel-production capacity exceeded the 2008 domestic demand of 500 million tons by 160 million tons. China's State Council has called for a consolidation of the industry in order to manage output better, with five major producers generating 45% of Chinese steel by 2011. (See pictures of Chinese investment in Africa...