Mr Mu argues that a two-child policy is long overdue.

ECONOMIST: China

But the government's sensitivities have not prevented the publication of several articles in the official media in recent months quoting the views of other one-child policy critics, including Mr Mu.

ECONOMIST: China

He believes Mr Mu (whose death sentence was suspended for two years) and Mr Ma have yet to reveal all they know about Shenyang officialdom's connections with the criminal underworld.

ECONOMIST: Reformers struggle against the odds

Accounts in the Chinese media say Mr Mu once widely hailed as one of China's most savvy reformist officials and Mr Ma accepted bribes from a mafia boss in exchange for property concessions.

ECONOMIST: Reformers struggle against the odds

Mr Mu says that even in the handful of rural counties where the authorities have experimented with allowing farmers to have two children unconditionally, parents have shown little inclination to exceed that number.

ECONOMIST: China