A number of unsurprising things have recently happened in the country with the most famous population policies in the world. China’s apparent demographic travails were narrated as an existential threat to the country’s economic and geopolitical future. This led to panicked claims by commentators inside and outside China that it was experiencing a “demographic crisis”. By realising the potential of an increasingly skilled, more mature population, China could reap a rencai hongli, or “talent dividend”, sustaining both productivity growth and healthy, successful ageing. Any change in the population policies of the world’s most populous country is bound to be a big deal.

Source: The Guardian June 02, 2021 04:52 UTC