IN FOCUS
By Avishka Ashok

The Communist Party of China’s population control policies and its impact on the demography
 
On 24 November, the Straits Times reported that the Chinese census failed to account for at least 11.6 million children born between 2000 and 2010. The gap in the number of births came to the forefront after the government released its latest statistical yearbook which accounted for 172.5 million births in that decade. However, the 2010 census accounted for only 160.9 million births. The sudden surge in the number of births in the 2000s is credited to the one-child policy of China which criminalized couples for having more than one child. Fearing persecution and hefty fines, couples refrained from documenting the second child in the national registry until they reached the age for schooling.
 
China’s one-child policy
Towards the end of the 1970s, China realised that the population explosion held a high probability of pulling down the country’s economic growth and put a strain on its limited resources. The government found itself facing a challenge of providing for the world’s most populated country while it aimed to completely eradicate poverty by 2030. In February 2021, China announced that the country had successfully achieved this goal, ten years before its deadline. The goal was achieved through some hardcore political, economic and social reforms. In 1979, the Communist Party of China introduced the One-child policy and took strict actions to implement the policy. The implementation went as far as forcibly aborting babies to fining couples for having a second child. The second child was not provided with any social benefits while parents faced the risk of losing jobs in case of violating the law. The policy led to a gender imbalance in the country due to the patriarchal nature of the Chinese Society that preferred to abort female fetuses in favour of a male child.
 
The end of the one-child policy
The one-child policy continued until 2016 when the government realised that the policy had led to one blaring side-effect: a widening gap between the ageing population and the younger generation. China had already transformed itself into an economically advanced country which needed its cheap labour force to continue production and industrial output at affordable and economic rates. However, the sudden drop in births caused by the one-child policy showcased an impending shortage in the labour force. Despite raising the limit to two children per couple, only 13.2 percent of the couples in China wanted to plan for a second child in 2015. Most couples in the 21st century were not attracted to the idea of a second child due to the high costs of living in cities, where a majority of the population resided. A study conducted by the government observed that the two-child policy introduced by the CPC affected the fertility level and was highly influenced by women’s desire to achieve successful careers over parenting two children. China had gradually shifted to a low-fertility society over the years and was facing obstacles in raising its demographic count. However, major impacts of the one-child and two-child policies are yet to be experienced. The highest strain on the economy will be felt after 2040s when the percentage of people aged above 65 years would be higher than 25 percent.
 
The three-child policy
In May 2021, the government lifted all restrictions and allowed couples to have three or more children after only 12 million babies were born in 2020. The 2020 census brought a sense of urgency to the CPC after a substantial percentage of the population decreased from the working age group and got added to the ageing percentile of the populace. The Chinese government realised that a similar trend would follow for the coming few years until the administration stabilized the population growth.
 
References:
“China finds 12 million children that it didn't know existed, East Asia News & Top Stories,” The Straits Times, 24 November 2021
Andrew Mullen, “China’s one-child policy: what was it and what impact did it have?,” South China Morning Post, 1 June 2020
“Xi Jinping announces China's eradication of extreme poverty,” China Global Television, 25 February 2021
Yi Zeng and Therese Hesketh, “The effects of China’s universal two-child policy,” National Centre for Biotechnology Information, 15 October 2016

IN BRIEF
By Dincy Adlakha and Keerthana Nambiar

INTERNAL
CPC elects Tibet’s new Party Chief
On 30 November, the 10th Communist Party of China held an election for the Party Chief of Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee in its first plenary session. As a result of the election, Wang Junzheng was elected as the secretary of the Communist Party of China, Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee. (“Wang Junzheng elected Tibet's Party chief,” Xinhua, 30 November 2021)

Chinese and Russian representatives discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation
On 30 November, the 26th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government was held. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang co-chaired the meeting with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin via video link urging to enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Li said, “the two nations are global partners that provide each other with development opportunities, and China attaches great importance to relations with Russia. In spite of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the two countries have witnessed new vitality in bilateral cooperation in all fields,” reported Xinhua. Mishustin remarked that Russia was ready to work with and deepen the cooperation with China in many areas like COVID-19 response, trade, investment, and finance. (“Chinese premier urges enhanced pragmatic cooperation with Russia,” Xinhua Net, 1 December 2021)

Hong Kong University scientists isolate Omicron variant of coronavirus
On 1 December, The Straits Times reported that scientists from the University of Hong Kong have succeeded in isolating the Omicron variant from clinical specimens. This is seen as a huge achievement since it will be pivotal in developing vaccines against this new strain of coronavirus. The researchers from the Microbiology Department of the University are the first team in Asia to isolate Omicron or “variant of concern” as termed by WHO. The team is now assessing the transmissibility, immune evasion capacity and pathogenicity of the strain in animal models. (“Hong Kong scientists succeed in isolating Omicron variant,” The Straits Times, 1 December 2021)

China’s national political advisory body hears reports, suggests recommendations
On 30 November, the Chairpersons’ Council of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee  met to hear reports from the various special committees under it. The meeting was headed by Wang Yang, a senior member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. The meeting heard reports of all the work undertaken and done by these special committees in 2021. This included work on ageing population, education, opening-up measures, cultural service system, and so on. The committees were urged to review their work and identify areas with scope of improvement. (“China’s national political advisory body hears special committee work reports,” Xinhua, 1 December 2021)

TECHNOLOGY
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology comes up with a development plan for big data
On 30 November, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) unveiled a development plan at the 14th Five-year Plan period (2021-2025) for the big data industry. The Ministry says, “The scale of the country's big data industry will likely exceed 3 trillion yuan (about 470 billion U.S. dollars) by the end of 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of around 25 percent,” reported Xinhua. According to the plan, a key factor of production will be established for the market-oriented pricing mechanism and raise social awareness of big data. The MIIT data shows rapid development of China’s big data sector in the last five years which exceeded one trillion yuan in 2020. (“China releases development plan for big data industry,” Xinhua, 30 November 2021)

INTERNATIONAL
China and Guinea seek friendly cooperation
On 30 November, Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with the Guinean Foreign Minister Morissanda Kouyate in Dakar, Senegal as part of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the FOrum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). The two vowed to deepen friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries. FM Wang pointed out that Guinea was the first sub-Saharan country to form official diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. He also recalled the previous cooperations between the two countries on matters of integrity, independence, national development, Ebola and COVID-19. FM Kouyate also put his favouring views forward and said that China is an important partner for infrastructure, resources and telecommunications. Both delegates valued the China-Africa cooperation forum and ignited hope for further bilateral friendly ventures as well. (“China, Guinea vow to deepen friendly cooperation,” Xinhua, 1 December 2021)

Chinese Embassy in France opposes the new French legislation supporting “Taiwan Independence”
On 1 December, People’s Daily reported on the Chinese Embassy in France’s strong opposition to a new resolution adopted by the French Assembly that advocates “Taiwan Independence.” The new bill introduced by the French legislators encourages the participation of Taiwan in international organizations including WHO and the International Criminal Police Organization. The Chinese Embassy in France accused the French government of violating the one-China principle and supporting the “Taiwan Independence” secessionists. “We urge France to respect China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, abide by the one-China principle with concrete actions, and safeguard the healthy and stable development of China-France relations,” stated the Embassy. (“French parliament’s Taiwan resolution ‘conforms to US pressure, won’t have real impact on policy’,” People’s Daily, 1 December 2021)