Loans for babies: How this Chinese province trying to beat population threat

 Jilin in northeast China is offering married couples bank loans of up to 200,000 yuan ($31,400) if they have kids.

Beijing: Jilin in northeast China is offering married couples bank loans of up to 200,000 yuan ($31,400) if they have kids, joining other provinces in the roll-out of financial incentives to overcome a declining population.

Certain small businesses set up by couples with two or three children will also enjoy exemptions and cuts in value-added taxes, the Jilin government said in a statement on Thursday.

China`s demographic issues are particularly prominent in the three northeastern rustbelt provinces of Jilin, Liaoning and Heilongjiang, as residents ventured to other provinces for work while couples deferred marriage or plan to have a family.