The communist leaders in China have decided to tone down some of the "threatening" slogans used by the government to promote its one-child policy.

Those to be removed include slogans such as. "One more baby means one more tomb;" "Raise fewer babies but more piggies;" and "House toppled, cows confiscated, if abortion demand rejected."

China's National Population and Family Planning Commission said the decision to pull out the slogans bearing strong language was "an effort to win more understanding to the country's population control policy."

The Chinese government has imposed the one-child policy since 1979.

The population of China is 1.3 billion, and grows by 10 million every year - which puts a huge strain on its environment, economy and society.

The NPFPC said they would issue a list of 190 acceptable slogans to be used for the program.

Among those proposed slogans were, "The mother earth is too tired to sustain more children" and "Both boys and girls are parents' hearts."