China has launched a campaign to encourage marriage and children,

China has stepped up a national campaign aimed at encouraging unmarried citizens to date, get married and have children amid a serious demographic crisis, the Financial Times reports.

Local authorities are asking married women about their plans for motherhood and offering cash payments to encourage them to have more than one child. Universities are encouraged to introduce courses on love themes specifically for single students. Meanwhile, state media are increasingly publishing materials emphasizing the benefits of parenthood.

China's population is declining, the number of deaths exceeds the number…