The easing of birth limits on families comes at a time when China faces a rapidly aging population and a sharp decline in births – but there are doubts about how effective it will prove.
China wants more children: After decades of strict birth control, each Chinese family is now allowed to have three offspring. But an imminent baby boom remains wishful thinking, predicts Dang Yuan.
Four good reasons why Communist China will never become the world superpower
Demography, debt, drought and education will deny Beijing the sustainable growth it needs
16 May 2021 • 8:00am
The prevailing narrative is that China will be the pre-eminent power of the 21st century, thanks to its vast population and apparently ever-growing economy. But there are at least four good reasons to think that this narrative is wrong, what might be termed the four Ds.
First is demography. The commentariat is all a-twitter following the publication of China’s most recent 10-year census. Even if you do not subscribe to the view of “lies, damned lies and Chinese Communist Party statistics” – and there are some oddities, such as the 0-14 year-old cohort numbering 14 million more than the total reached by adding up the births for individual years – it gives rise to some big concerns for Beijing.