Translation Tag: demographics
The CCP Politburo holds “collective study sessions” on a semi-regular basis, in which an outside academic or government expert leads a discussion on a selected topic. Such sessions are important signals as to what issues the senior leadership finds important. The 14th collective study session of the 20th Central Committee Politburo was held on May 27, 2024 and was presided over by Xi Jinping. At this session, Xi delivered a speech emphasizing the need to expand employment, especially for college graduates and younger demographics more broadly, including through policy support for industries with high employment capacity and better aligning talent pipelines with such industries.
This decision unveils China’s three-child policy and supporting measures to combat population aging, which is framed as a serious challenge to the country’s future development. The change is contextualized as part of a broader policy agenda designed to improve the quality and affordability of childbirth and childcare services.
Cai Fang, a top Chinese economist, argues that China’s low fertility rate can be remedied with the right set of policy solutions. Cai recommends Beijing focus on policies that improve socio-economic development levels and promote gender equality, diagnosing these factors as key constraints on decisions around childbirth.
Chinese economist Yin Yanlin argues that while population decline and aging are inevitable, impacts on economic growth can be minimized. Reviewing strategies adopted by other aging nations, Yin recommends Beijing slow population decline and reduce its impact through financial incentives for childbirth, extension of the retirement age, improvements to elderly care services, and immigration reforms to attract high-skilled foreign talent.
In an interview with China Daily, Wang Pei’an of the China Family Planning Association, an organization affiliated with the Central Committee and State Council, laments the declining interest in marriage and children in today’s China. Among other policy changes, Wang emphasizes the need to promote a culture of shared child-rearing responsibilities across genders and generations, improve maternity leave and childcare systems, and feature family development more prominently in popular online media in order to address China’s declining birth rate.