As a scholar of Chinese demographics, I know that the figures released by Chinese government on Tuesday , showing that for the first time in six decades, deaths in the previous year outnumbered births is no mere blip.
In short, this is a seismic shift. It will have huge symbolic and substantive impacts on China in three main areas. This historical turning point in China’s population trend serves as a further wake-up call to move the country’s model more quickly to a post-manufacturing, post-industrial economy - an ageing, shrinking population does not fit the purposes of a labour-intensive economic model.
The large number of ageing parents with only one child to rely on for support will likely impose severe constraints - not least for the elderly parents, who will need financial support. They will also need emotional and social support for longer as a result of extended life expectancy. As China’s economy underwent rapid growth after 2000, the Chinese government responded by investing tremendously in education and healthcare facilities, as well as extending universal pension coverage.
新加坡老人家都快要佔25%了！
兩億很多嗎？