China is ageing.
Elizabeth Economy argues that China isn't just rising, but ageing:
Chinese officials appear most concerned about the ageing of the population. They face two separate challenges here. First, by 2050, China will have more than 438 million people over the age of 60, roughly 25 percent of the countryâ??s total population. Chinaâ??s leaders are desperately concerned about maintaining a strong and active labor force to ensure continued economic growth. Of course, people over 60 can continue to lead productive lives, working well into their seventies or even eighties, but China will need to improve its health care system to ensure their health care needs are met in the process.Second, the skewed age demographic has brought about the â??Four-two-oneâ? problem, in which one child is responsible for caring for two parents and four grandparents, has been actively discussed for well over a decade. With a dearth of facilities to help care for the elderly, there is no doubt that the burden will be great on these only children, and recent polls suggest that many do not feel prepared to shoulder such a burdenâ??even simply to take care of their parents, much less their grandparents.
Meanwhile, the Telegraph marks the 30th anniversary of China's "one child" policy:
But today, the one-child policy remains firmly in place and government officials cannot shake the idea that it has played an important role in China's economic miracle.With only one child to care for, parents have been able to save more money, enabling banks to make the loans that have funded China's huge investments in infrastructure.
Meanwhile, officials claim the policy has conserved food and energy and allowed each child better education and healthcare.
"We will continue the one-child policy until at least 2015," said the National Family Planning Commission earlier this year.
