New research helps explain why China’s low birth rates are stuck
Spillover effects may be to blame
The scars left by China’s population-control policies are clear. Last year, its population started to fall for the first time since 1962; its working-age population has been declining for a decade. A shrinking workforce acts as a drag on growth, and a swelling number of elderly puts pressure on the welfare system.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Stuck in the trap”
From the June 3rd 2023 edition
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China’s propagandists preach defiance in the trade war with America
The public seems on board, for now
Chinese officials are encouraging office workers not to work so hard
More free time means more consumption, they hope
China hawks are losing influence in Trumpworld, despite the trade war
“Restrainers” are taking over from “primacists”
Why are Chinese soldiers fighting in Ukraine?
They have been showing up on both sides of the battlefield throughout the war
China’s shoemakers seem more sanguine than its politicians
A trade war will cause a lot of damage, but many have weathered storms before
To secure exports to Europe, China reconfigures its rail links
A new line will bypass its best friend, Russia