Pregnant women rarely get information on breastfeeding during prenatal visits and turn to smartphone apps or websites - often funded by formula firms - for advice. Photos: AFP
Unregulated, aggressive promotion of formula milk, poor medical advice, short maternity leave and workplaces hostile to nursing mothers mean China has among the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world and is falling well short of its own targets, experts warn.
Just one in five of the nation's babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, a recommendation set by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This is less than half the global average, according to UNICEF's 2019 breastfeeding scorecard, and far below the Chinese government's aim to have 50 percent of mothers nursing by this year.
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