China's Population Passed 1.3 Billion

China's population officially passed 1.3 billion citizens, with the birth of a baby boy early on Jan 6, 2005. The boy was born Thursday at the Beijing Maternity Hospital at 12:02 a.m. (1602 GMT Wednesday) to a father who works for Air China and a mother employed by Shell China, Xinhua said. The newborn baby's overjoyed father was quoted as saying his son would be blessed his whole life.

China's population is expected to increase by about 10 million a year, hitting a peak of 1.46 billion in the 2030s.