Correct answer: reducing population growth
Deng Xiaoping rose to power in China in the years following the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. Mao had opposed the idea of controlling population growth in China, saying, "The more people there are, the stronger we are." But Deng started a new policy in China in 1979, the "one child policy." Under the policy, most Chinese families were restricted to having only one child. Incentives for jobs and financial advantage were in place for those who complied with the policy, and sometimes harsh measures such as sterilizations and abortions were implemented during the years that the policy remained in force.
When originally begun by Deng, the one-child policy had the goal of restricting population growth so that it did not go faster than China's economic development was able to support.