John Oliver holds up sex dolls as the perfect symbol of China's 70 years of Communist rule

John Oliver on China's 1-child policy
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/Last Week Tonight)

"I know there is a lot going on with China right now, from the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong to the trade war that's been 'good and easy to win' for the last year and a half now," John Oliver said on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. "But this week, China took a moment to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Communist Party coming to power," and "we thought we'd help tonight by highlighting one of the most massively consequential policies they undertook in that time: the one-child policy."

The population-control policy was in effect from 1980 to 2015, but "the effects of it are far from over," Oliver said. For example, there are about 34 million more men than women in China. The policy was designed, problematically, by China's military, he added. "Family planning isn't rocket science, and that's exactly why rocket scientists should not do it."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.