Birth rate

As Chinese youths face pressures on all fronts, from education to job hunting and even finding love, they are finding some solace in prayers to gods. But a recent article from state media denouncing such behaviours has sparked uproar among the youths, claiming that the authorities are far removed from the problems young people face today.

The drive in China to get more sperm donations have triggered concerns of a shortfall in supply and rising male infertility rates, but it also plays into the wider national anxiety over a population decline in the country.

Following the recent report on China’s shrinking population, Zaobao’s correspondent Wong Siew Fong takes a closer look at how this might affect China’s education system, and what the authorities will have to do to mitigate these effects, in terms of planning ahead and being proactive rather than reactive.

While a bride price or dowry is a marriage custom in China, the monetary value of the bride price has been getting out of hand in many places. At the top of the list is Jiangxi province, where bride prices can go as high as US$116,000. Zaobao’s China Desk examines the phenomenon and what is being done about it.

Lianhe Zaobao associate editor Peter Ong looks into why Asian countries are facing a declining population, especially those that have witnessed successful economic transformation. What social conditions have led to the staggeringly low birth rates? And is migration a solution?

Population decline can actually bring multiple dividends, contrary to popular belief, says East Asian Institute senior research fellow Lance Gore. Instead of looking for solutions to economic crises and population decline that are capitalist in nature and do not address the root causes, this is an opportunity to explore how socialism in China can deliver solutions that turn crisis into opportunity.

The latest announcement of China’s first population drop in six decades has gained much attention, with concerns over the long-term implications for the economy and the community. How will this affect China’s GDP and its aim to overtake the US as the world’s biggest economy? Can China reverse the population trend?

The prolonged implementation of Covid-19 control measures has caused a significant socioeconomic impact in China, notably leading to the decline in marriage, divorce and birth rates, as well as the increase in youth unemployment. While the situation is more complex than what the data show, Chinese observers believe that both external and internal factors are at play.

Caixin notes that China is poised to roll out more policies to assist developers in an increasingly desperate attempt to arrest a protracted downturn of the multi-trillion-dollar property sector. However, amid the perform storm of changing demographics, Covid-19 disruptions, weakening demand and Beijing’s campaign of deleveraging, industry practitioners are bracing for a tough battle.