Understand China | How does China, with its massive population, modernize?

"To understand China, the key lies in understanding Chinese modernization."

The "Understand China" program produced by People's Daily Online interprets a real, multidimensional and comprehensive China through in-depth dialogues between both Chinese and foreign scholars.

China's massive population is a unique national characteristic.

In this episode of "Understand China", Du Peng, dean of the School of Population and Health at Renmin University of China, and Javier García, a veteran Spanish media professional, discussed the unique features of China's modernization and the challenges and opportunities that China's enormous population present in its journey towards modernization.

Du pointed out that although China's fertility rate is declining, annual births in China had exceeded 9 million in each of the past two years. The reality is that China's population is still very large. The current population development strategy is to optimize population policies and promote the establishment of a fertility-friendly society.

García pointed out that China isn't only achieving high quality development, but also a high-quality labor force. In Du's opinion, the demographic dividend cannot be defined solely as an increase in the labor force ratio. Attention also needs to be paid to the quality of the labor force. China is transitioning from a demographic dividend to a talent dividend.

García thinks it's important for China to consider the transition to an elderly care society. Du noted that China just announced a new policy to delay the retirement age in September 2024. He believes that now is the appropriate time to change the retirement age, as it gives people the chance to gradually adapt to the change over a period of 20 to 30 years. For the country, it is also a fundamental measure to address the challenges of the population aging before the peak of an aged population arrives.