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China's ageing population

China's ageing population
The latest news, analysis and opinion on China's ageing population. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
China has introduced a new national child subsidy in an effort to encourage families to have more children. Photo: Xinhua
China's population

China’s new child subsidy is popular. But will it actually raise the birth rate?

China hopes the payments will convince couples to have more children. Parents say that is highly unlikely to happen.

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Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Opinion | Hong Kong can’t afford to outsource its healthcare to mainland China

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Trending in China

Chinese centenarian sisters, separated for decades, reunite via video, move many online

China jobs

Will retirees be job market winners as China targets social insurance dodgers?

As flood of graduates looks for work, employing retirees offers Chinese businesses a way to avoid social insurance costs.

An elderly couple in Beijing in May last year. Photo: AFP
Trending in China

Family drama as Chinese mum sues daughter for US$680,000 over elder care dispute

Agreement states that daughter is responsible for all care expenses – hospitalisation, medical bills, rent, and all reasonable living costs.

China society

My Take | China’s pension system needs an overhaul since it is not fair nor sustainable

The country’s pension system has become unsustainable because of the shrinking labour force and ageing society.

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China birth rate

Why China’s baby subsidies may help poorer regions – and how they stack up in Asia

But the universal cash transfers could have a bigger impact on consumption levels than the number of births, some analysts say.

A nurse takes care of a newborn baby at a hospital in Taizhou, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province, on May 12, 2023. Photo: AFP
China's population

Editorial | China’s childcare subsidy likely to be first of many family-friendly policies

The focus is on optimising the structure of the population to help maintain economic growth and stability.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba, Beijing United Family Hospital partner to use AI in cancer diagnosis

The collaboration will leverage Alibaba research arm Damo Academy’s medical AI screening system, called ‘One Sweep Multi-Check’.

Insurance

Exclusive | Retirement dreams: Hong Kong boomers eye Greater Bay Area for affordable living

A survey sponsored by BOC Life says 24 per cent of Hongkongers are willing to retire outside the city versus less than 5 per cent 10 years ago.

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Wilson Tang, the chief executive of BOC Life. Photo: Sun Yeung
China birth rate

China’s US$500-a-year baby subsidy to boost population

First national childcare support scheme, a supplement to local baby bonus programmes, aimed at reversing population decline.

Photo: Reuters
China birth rate

‘Milestone’: China launches first national childcare subsidies amid birth crisis

But analysts warn the cash transfers may be too little, too late.

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Trending in China

China dad, 82, picks plums before sunrise for son; story gains 4 million views

Octogenarian father moves son to tears by getting up in middle of night to pick plums after experts tell him it is best time for ‘crispier’ fruit.

Hong Kong society

‘Obedient’ AI partners partly to blame for Hong Kong’s low births: lawmaker

‘To encourage childbirth today, we not only compete with pets, but also with AI,’ legislator and academic William Wong says.

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A lawmaker has said virtual companions are partly to claim for the city’s low births. Photo: Jelly Tse
China's population

Chinese province quintuples marriage leave to give betrothals a boost

Hubei province, one of several regions attempting to reverse persistent declines in marriages and births, will provide 15 days of leave for newlyweds.

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Fewer Chinese are getting married, with many pointing to heavy expenses as to why. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
China's population

‘Financial burden’: why millions in China still quit national health insurance

Rising costs, stagnant incomes and growing distrust drive people to opt out of medical coverage, analysts say.

Trending in China

Frugal Chinese man spends under US$1 per meal, saving to buy flat, car for parents

His extreme thriftiness stems from traumatic childhood incident when mum became gravely ill, forcing family to borrow for medical treatment.

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Insurance

Hong Kong’s insurance market may balloon 55% as Greater Bay Area ages

Gross insurance premium in the city may jump to US$127 billion by 2032, Manulife Financial’s Asia president says.

Residents attend a Chinese New Year fair at a home for the elderly in the Nansha district of Guangzhou city on February 3, 2024. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Trending in China

Cat-loving Chinese man, 82, plans to leave feline his inheritance, seeks good carer

Desire of childless, single animal-lover that his pet lives happily after he dies leads to online debate over wills, warnings about ‘bad people’.

Trending in China

Musical Chinese man, 102, strikes up sweet bond with grandma in nursing home

Centenarian with spirit of a ‘playful child’ woos grandmother, 85, who excels at craftwork, ignites delight on social media.

China society

Opinion | Giving up seats to elderly should be an easy decision in China

Recent viral videos showing young people and elderly clashing over seats have raised fears of deteriorating public morality in China.

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A sculpture of Confucius, who taught that filial piety is the root of virtue. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

ByteDance helps jewellery firm Lao Feng Xiang push AI glasses to China’s elderly

The jewellery firm’s foray into the wearables market reflects a surge of fresh interest in smart eyewear with AI-powered capabilities.

Powered by ByteDance’s artificial intelligence technology, Lao Feng Xiang’s smart glasses feature real-time voice navigation and translation functions. Photo: Handout
Trending in China

Chinese man impresses many by building lift to access 5th-floor home

Wang dedicates a full year for project from conducting research, purchasing materials to designing, assembling system all by himself.

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Trending in China

Chinese grandma, 92, wows public by completing 200 push-ups, 100 sit-ups daily

Elderly retired kindergarten teacher with fitness bug says daily exercise is making her white hair turn black.

Trending in China

‘Age is just a number’: China grandma, 71, stars in fitness contest, shares tips

Six-pack boasting grandmother sets cycling Guinness World Record, says it is never too late to start physical exercise.

A 71-year-old Chinese grandmother has come third in a fitness contest after foll0wing a strict and demanding fitness regime. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin/Jimu
China's population

Pay dads to parent? How China could fix birth rate crisis, according to new research

As Beijing grapples with population decline, new research argues subsidies for fathers could tackle falling global fertility rates.

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To-be fathers learn to take care of newborns at a maternal hospital in Handan in north China’s Hebei province on Sunday, June 21, 2020. Photo: Future Publishing via Getty Images
China property

The future of retirement for wealthy Hongkongers could be this Zhuhai community

HN Group’s Serensia Woods, a 135,000-square-metre retirement community, is catering to Hong Kong’s ageing population with flats starting at HK$10 million.

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Hong Kong society

Opinion | Get elderly housing right and Hong Kong’s silver economy can take off

To support the latest measures, the right infrastructure must be in place, starting from housing and community support.

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