A Chinese political adviser was set to propose gradually opening up access to egg-freezing for unmarried women and including infertility treatments in the public health insurance system, after Beijing posted negative population growth for the first time in over six decades.

'I wish some breakthrough can be made in loosening rules on egg-freezing for single women in a bid to effectively preserve and protect their fertility,' Lu Weiying, a member of China's top political advisory body, told state-run tabloid Global Times on Monday.