The number of people avoiding marriage is growing dramatically in China, while the government hopes youngsters not only marry, but also give birth to children. But the change is more than about demographics only, says the journalist Zhang Lijia, author of “Socialism Is Great!”: A Worker’s Memoir of the New China in the Guardian.Read More →

China’s government is trying to encourage giving birth to children and marriage to offset a fast-aging population. But author Zhang Lijia discovered on a tour in the country China’s women abandon the idea of getting married, she writes in the South China Morning Post. “I believe this trend is driven by educated urban women. It is in line with the trajectories of more developed countries. Once women have a good education and good jobs, they become less keen on marriage,” she writes.Read More →

Former Shanghai-based foreign correspondent Howard French recently returned to Shanghai for the first time after corona and takes stock of its current state, by talking to Chinese and foreign residents in the city. In Foreign Policy he reports about these findings. French: “All I can say with certainty is that we are all in for a turbulent, costly, and possibly dangerous ride.”Read More →

Cashless payments have become mainstream in China, but cash is still valuable and the government supports cash payments, says financial expert Sara Hsu, an associate professor at the University of Tennessee, specializing in supply chain management in the Guardian. A “[recent] directive pushes China’s policy of inclusive finance further to ensure that both elderly Chinese and foreigners can participate in economic transactions,” says Hsu.Read More →

China’s aging population is leaving the labor force while dropping consumer confidence discourages youngsters from marrying or having children. Business analyst Shaun Rein tells Reuters the country is heading for a demographic disaster, and raising the pension age is one inevitable measure the government should take.Read More →

The baby industry used to be a winner in China in the past, but the falling birth rate is hitting international companies in this industry hard, says Shanghai-based business analyst Shaun Rein to Reuters. Part of the industry is now refocusing on India, which overtook China in population growth.Read More →

China’s government tries to raise the number of newborns to offset an aging population, but the latest demographics show Chinese do not follow that lead as the country’s birthrate is dropping. People choose to make a different choice, explains social commentator Zhang Lijia in the Guardian. “And society has become more tolerant.”Read More →