Some time ago, issue was human overpopulation & now to aging population. I have faith that humans (& Chinese) would figure out how to live well with declining population. That said, in less than 60 years, China almost triple its population even with 1-Child policy. And with high household savings rate like Korea, Japan, Singapore also facing aging population, I do not see similar economic challenges as Europe where current working adults are funding retirees that now live much longer.
In decades to come, China could become like Korea & Japan today, where more people would live in major cities. Countryside, small towns & villages getting less people & returning to nature. Yes, economy may not be as fast & they tapping on their huge retirement savings, but would consume much less.
BTW, to convince women, who are real decision makers for babies, is more than money. Its the forgoing of career, lifestyles, beauty (youth) vs having children with overbearing need to make them superkids. This is huge debate in many East Asian nations... and we still don't have good conclusions.
The current U.S. foreign policy is probably the single biggest mistake I've ever witnessed. Talk about throwing away your advantage. It would seem that a large proportion of Americans no longer wish to be top dog in the world.
On the subject of China, is it even possible to know exactly what the average Chinese thinks of his or her country? I've been wondering about this. If the prevailing culture is one of keeping one's cards close to the chest and not being too openly critical of the state, is it ever possible to know how popular or otherwise the government of China actually is? Can we ever know what Chinese people really think about their country in relation to its neighbours and wider world? Do they support Xi's more strident approach to borders and territories?
Knowing how online the Chinese users are, you just need to see number of active users on Chinese (only) social media, payment & other Digital platforms, number of mobile phones purchased, cars etc if she does not believe on government statistics.
Some time ago, issue was human overpopulation & now to aging population. I have faith that humans (& Chinese) would figure out how to live well with declining population. That said, in less than 60 years, China almost triple its population even with 1-Child policy. And with high household savings rate like Korea, Japan, Singapore also facing aging population, I do not see similar economic challenges as Europe where current working adults are funding retirees that now live much longer.
In decades to come, China could become like Korea & Japan today, where more people would live in major cities. Countryside, small towns & villages getting less people & returning to nature. Yes, economy may not be as fast & they tapping on their huge retirement savings, but would consume much less.
BTW, to convince women, who are real decision makers for babies, is more than money. Its the forgoing of career, lifestyles, beauty (youth) vs having children with overbearing need to make them superkids. This is huge debate in many East Asian nations... and we still don't have good conclusions.
I think the One Child Policy taught China’s people and China’s leaders a bit of humility regarding managing demographics.
Like you, I won’t mention China’s booming robotics industry.
The current U.S. foreign policy is probably the single biggest mistake I've ever witnessed. Talk about throwing away your advantage. It would seem that a large proportion of Americans no longer wish to be top dog in the world.
On the subject of China, is it even possible to know exactly what the average Chinese thinks of his or her country? I've been wondering about this. If the prevailing culture is one of keeping one's cards close to the chest and not being too openly critical of the state, is it ever possible to know how popular or otherwise the government of China actually is? Can we ever know what Chinese people really think about their country in relation to its neighbours and wider world? Do they support Xi's more strident approach to borders and territories?
Cindy, What do you think of Lei's Real Talk? She suggested China's population was overestimated by between one third and one half. Her analysis is all very geeky, but could she be on to something? https://leisrealtalk.com/chinas-fake-population-explains-its-faltering-economy/
Knowing how online the Chinese users are, you just need to see number of active users on Chinese (only) social media, payment & other Digital platforms, number of mobile phones purchased, cars etc if she does not believe on government statistics.