Without broader reforms to address high costs of living and rural-urban divides, China’s new policy could make the difficult problem of a declining fertility rate even worse.
Changing to a three-child policy will not automatically increase the fertility rate, argues Nancy Qian. Credit: Peter Morgan, Creative Commons
IRVINE – In an effort to address rapid population aging, China has just announced that it will allow all families to have up to three children. The decision comes on the heels of widely publicized new data showing that the Chinese fertility rate in 2020 was only 1.3 per woman, which is similar to that of Japan (1.36 in 2019) and notably lower than that of the United States (1.7).
But a below-replacement fertility rate is only one part of China’s demographic problem. A second issue is
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from Andrew Peaple.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Jeffrey Epstein aspired to do deals in China, corresponding with Peter Mandelson and David Stern, a German associate who was close to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. The Wire China reviews email trails from the Epstein files.
In an adaptation of her forthcoming book, The New Tech Titans of China, Rebecca Fannin profiles Shanghai-based Qiming Venture Partners and its American founder, Gary Rieschel.
Now on podcast platforms everywhere, The Wire China hits the airwaves to take you behind the scenes of the stories we cover each week. We are dedicated to understanding and explaining one of the biggest stories of our time: China’s economic rise and its influence on the world.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OKPrivacy policy
