With a global perspective，drawing upon data related to population policy as well as the reproductive health/family planning published by the United Nations，this article examines the general trend and characteristics of population regulations and policy intervention across the world，and discusses the implications for the future reform of China’s family planning policy．We find that，in the past 30 years，regarding population policies in the fields of population growth，fertility level，aging，reproductive health/family planning as well as internal rural-urban migration，the number and proportion of countries with no population intervention in the world have considerably decreased．Such intervention has become a major world trend．More than 90% of the world’s countries or regions are currently practicing family planning，showing the universality，inclusiveness and strong vitality of this policy．The promotion of reproductive health has greatly enriched and expanded the traditional family planning practice．This article suggests that China’s family planning policy should promote reform and innovation in distinguishing basic concepts of population policy，integrating services，supporting external policies and bringing into full play the role of social organizations．

This article reviews international literature on the changing trends of population migration and mobility and their mechanisms from the following perspectives: the changing trends of different forms of population mobility，the international comparison of the overall intensity of China’s internal mi- gration，the micro life course of population migration and mobility，and the mechanism and recent evolution of circular migration．The authors derive the following views on the future trends of China’s population migration and mobility from the above review and its implications: First，the recent decreasing trends of regional and rural-urban migration in China indicate changes in the forms of China’s population mobility rather than a real decline of its overall volume and intensity，which will still be on the rise; Second，great attention still needs to be paid to the portable issues of various public services provided to the floating population; and third，the management of and services to the floating population need to be improved in accordance with the changes in the forms of population mobility，especially the rise of urban to urban and intra-urban migration and mobility．

This paper examines the newly released figure of China′s urbanization rate by the end of 2011(51.27 per cent) from the perspectives of internationally accepted rules and criteria in the urban-rural classification and their changing trend in the context of blurred rural-urban distinction.The paper argues that the criteria adopted in China′s urban statistics are consistent with those accepted in the international practice,and that although there are some problems in China′s urbanization process,they do not constitute a denial to the fact that more than half of China′s population agglomerates in urban areas with internationally recognized urban characteristics.In fact,China′s urban statistics not only do not over-estimate China′s urbanization level,but under-estimate the depth and breadth of China′s urbanization process,because they do not cover a large number of quasi-urban populations who carry significant urban characteristics.Such inadequacy needs to be addressed in the future.