Many countries are suffering from an aging population with all that entails. And then there is an ever-declining birthrate as well. One can readily see a variety of problems arising, something a country like China will even more than others, have to confront. The New York Times puts it all into context in a piece "Rise in China's Aging Poses Challenge to Beijing" what it means for the fast-growing China.
"By 2015 there will be 220 million people more than 60 years old in China, compared with about 180 million today. Encouraged by Mao Zedong, who believed more was better, China’s population boomed in the middle of the past century. Rapid growth was cut short in 1979 when the state introduced the one-child policy.
Within 40 years, China will have nearly 500 million elderly people, according to current projections, or about one-third of its future population of nearly 1.5 billion, which will put a huge strain on its financial and human resources, experts say.
“There is no country in the world that is facing such a big aging population problem,” said Yuan Xin, a professor and director of the Aging Development Strategy Research Center at Nankai University in Tianjin and a member of a government committee drawing up new policies, to be announced at the end of the year. The state sees the problem and is preparing, Mr. Yuan said. But it cannot solve it alone.
“The most difficult thing for China is that it will face the problem within the next 40 years,” he said by phone. “That’s a short time.”
“The government cannot take on this whole burden,” he said “It has to be shared by the government, by society, families and by individuals.”
"By 2015 there will be 220 million people more than 60 years old in China, compared with about 180 million today. Encouraged by Mao Zedong, who believed more was better, China’s population boomed in the middle of the past century. Rapid growth was cut short in 1979 when the state introduced the one-child policy.
Within 40 years, China will have nearly 500 million elderly people, according to current projections, or about one-third of its future population of nearly 1.5 billion, which will put a huge strain on its financial and human resources, experts say.
“There is no country in the world that is facing such a big aging population problem,” said Yuan Xin, a professor and director of the Aging Development Strategy Research Center at Nankai University in Tianjin and a member of a government committee drawing up new policies, to be announced at the end of the year. The state sees the problem and is preparing, Mr. Yuan said. But it cannot solve it alone.
“The most difficult thing for China is that it will face the problem within the next 40 years,” he said by phone. “That’s a short time.”
“The government cannot take on this whole burden,” he said “It has to be shared by the government, by society, families and by individuals.”
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