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China's population

Open questions | Historian on why we aren’t heading towards WWIII yet and how wars have changed

US historian Jay Winter explains how the nature of war shifted after WWI and WWII, and the impact it has on the world today.

8 Nov 2024 - 12:01AMvideocam

My Take | China’s bleak demographic condition offers harsh lessons for policymakers

5 Nov 2024 - 7:00AMvideocam

I don’t: marriage registrations tumble, adding to China’s population woes

4 Nov 2024 - 8:04PMvideocam

China city’s bold measures to boost marriage, birth rates spark harsh criticism

Government slogans like ‘I enjoy making breakfast’, ‘Having three children is the coolest’ have drawn criticism.

2 Nov 2024 - 6:05PM

A southern Chinese city has launched bold initiatives to boost marriage and birth rates, stirring controversy. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

Chinese health body takes down propaganda aimed at boosting birth rate

In deleted post NHC listed physical changes and said pregnant women and their families should focus more on the positive values of birth.

6 Nov 2024 - 4:32PMvideocam

China looks to establish childbirth subsidy system, further tax cuts for parents

Subsidies and tax cuts are set to be rolled out as part of efforts to build a ‘birth-friendly society’ amid China’s looming demographic crisis.

29 Oct 2024 - 10:44PM

My Take | How Song dynasty tax policy might offer a solution to China’s population crisis

During the Song dynasty China’s population exceeded 100 million for the first time, breaking a historical ceiling of about 60 to 80 million.

29 Oct 2024 - 7:00AM

Chinese women learn how take care of newborn babies during a neighborhood committee session in Yichun, Jiangxi province, August 21, 2024. Photo: AFP

Chinese government workers urge women to get pregnant in latest birth rate push

The national grass-roots campaign to gauge sentiment and create pregnancy incentives is running into lingering resentment and worry, officials say.

29 Oct 2024 - 6:21AM

Chinese cities ease residency requirements as ‘war for people’ heats up

City governments have adopted a ‘hukou for home’ strategy as the competition for talent intensifies.

28 Oct 2024 - 11:43AM

Thousands of Chinese kindergartens close as falling birth rate takes its toll

Last year saw the number of kindergartens fall by over 5 per cent while the number of children enrolling dropped by more than 11 per cent.

28 Oct 2024 - 9:24AMvideocam

The number of children enrolled in kindergartens has fallen over the past three years. Photo: Getty Images

More than 60% of Chinese over 60 are empty nesters, survey finds

Most can’t afford to live in a nursing home, according to five-yearly poll, as committee on ageing calls for better services and coordinated policies.

22 Oct 2024 - 5:32PMvideocam

The traditional Chinese approach of children supporting their elderly parents “is being seriously challenged”, according to the National Committee on Ageing. Photo: AFP

The teething troubles of turning China’s kindergartens into homes for the aged

Aged care is a promising service area as the birth rate falls and society greys, but entrepreneurs face a series of hurdles.

20 Oct 2024 - 7:14PMvideocam

China’s current pro-birth policies cannot offset population crisis, expert warns

Cash subsidies for multiple children are doing little to offset China’s declining fertility rate that has far-reaching economic implications.

19 Oct 2024 - 12:00PM

Opinion | Why China is failing to make people want babies

People’s minds cannot be easily changed by propaganda when what they need is concrete help with issues they might face as married parents.

17 Oct 2024 - 10:32AM

A woman pushes twins in a stroller down a street in Beijing in August 2022, the year China’s population fell for the first time in six decades. Photo: AFP

What are the challenges China faces on its road to economic recovery?

15 Oct 2024 - 9:59AM

My Take | Demography is not destiny for China or anyone else

Mass immigration gives the US a huge advantage over everyone else facing depopulation but it’s a double-edged sword that has escalated domestic strife.

14 Oct 2024 - 9:00PM

Can an ageing, shrinking China still achieve prosperity?

Growing elderly population another conundrum for Chinese policymakers grappling with high youth unemployment and ‘ultra-low’ fertility.

15 Oct 2024 - 2:41PMvideocam

Opinion | China’s path to sustainable growth goes beyond economic stimulus

The path to sustained growth requires an approach that goes beyond short-term intervention and addresses underlying issues.

11 Oct 2024 - 2:47AMvideocam

Shoppers pass a Huawei store on Nanjing East Road in Shanghai, on October 2. Restoring consumer confidence and furthering a shift to an economy based more on domestic consumption were among the primary goals of Beijing’s recent stimulus measures. Photo: Bloomberg

How China’s ‘little emperors’ went from monarchs to overwhelmed caregivers

China’s one-child policy has created a zero-sibling generation – and caring for parents and children in a tough economy is taking its toll.

2 Oct 2024 - 9:52AMvideocam

Video | How Chinese citizens feel about raising the retirement age

The Post spoke with local residents to hear what they had to say about the policy change.

29 Sep 2024 - 11:00AM

Opinion | Lifting productivity key to China overcoming demographic challenge

As China confronts the challenges of an ageing population, the path forward lies in boosting productivity across all sectors and age groups.

24 Sep 2024 - 8:27AMvideocam

Shenzhen eases limits for government jobs, blazing trail for retirement delay

Three districts in the southern city of Shenzhen seemingly respond to long-awaited move to gradually raise retirement ages in China.

25 Sep 2024 - 1:51PMvideocam

China’s overall urban unemployment rate for August stood at 5.3 per cent, compared with 5.2 per cent a month earlier. Photo: AFP

Work longer, save smarter: China’s retirement-age changes force rethink of plans

At a time when consumption confidence is lacking in China, professionals express mixed feelings about working longer in life.

20 Sep 2024 - 11:02AMvideocam

‘No one is happy’: China’s move to lift retirement age unpopular among workers

Uncertainty over further changes and concerns over economy and jobs market are fuelling discontent over the decision.

23 Sep 2024 - 10:50AMvideocam

Editorial | Raising the retirement age inevitable amid China’s demographic changes

It is never a good time to tell people they have to work longer but if China’s public pension system is to be saved, there really is no alternative.

18 Sep 2024 - 11:52PM

Retirement remains a complex issue in mainland China, given its population, fast-changing demographics and urban-rural development gap. Photo: AP

Explainer | China has raised its retirement age. How does this compare to other countries?

Recently announced increases to China’s retirement age have received global attention – but what have other countries done?

18 Sep 2024 - 7:00PMvideocam

China has raised its retirement age for the first time in over 50 years. Photo: Bloomberg

How raising China’s retirement age can help Beijing buy time to plug pension gap

Last week, China announced plans to gradually raise retirement ages by up to five years by 2040, starting from January.

19 Sep 2024 - 11:13AM

My Take | China’s decision to extend the retirement age will not fix social welfare

The controversy over China’s extended retirement age is a fresh reminder of the deep-rooted problems inherent in the country’s national income distribution system.

17 Sep 2024 - 7:00AM

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China's population

China's top decision-making body announced in late October that it would relax the one-child policy, a controversial birth control measure Beijing introduced officially in the early 1980s to curb population growth. But demographers say the easing in the rules will not do much to rebalance China's ageing population.

last updated:

9 September, 2024