EVENTS

As with the rest of East Asia, China faces a massive demographic challenge. The contours are well known. Once young, China is growing old. Fast. The working age population peaked in the early 2010s and will continually decline from here on out. China’s total population could start to decline as early as next year – following in the footsteps of Taiwan and South Korea. Official projections suggest the share of China’s population 65 years and older will triple between 2015 and 2050, when over 25% of the population will be over 65. But current birth statistics now suggest China's aging process will actually be far more rapid than currently expected, with over a third of the population entering old age by mid-century. All of this will fuel increasing social pressures – including underfunded pensions, tight labour markets, and eldercare for the rural population. How will Beijing respond? What lessons might be drawn from the experiences of China’s East Asian neighbours? And what will be the impact of this sweeping transition on Chinese politics and society, particularly under the current trajectory being charted by Xi Jinping.

About the Speaker

Carl Minzner is senior fellow for China studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is also a professor at Fordham Law School, specializing in Chinese politics and law. He is the author of End of an Era: How China's Authoritarian Revival Is Undermining Its Rise (Oxford University Press, 2018). Minzner has published numerous articles on Chinese politics and governance in academic publications including China Quarterly, Asia Policy, American Journal of Comparative Law, Journal of Democracy, China Leadership Monitor, as well as opinion pieces in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Christian Science Monitor, among others. He received a BA in international relations from Stanford University, an MIA from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University, and a JD from Columbia Law School. He is a member of the California bar.

About the Discussant

Partha Mukhopadhyay is Honorary Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research since 2006. He was previously part of the founding team at the Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC), focusing on private participation in infrastructure. In previous positions, he has been with the Export-Import Bank of India, and with the World Bank in Washington. He has published extensively, frequently writes for the national media and has also been associated with a number of government committees. Most recently, he was chair of the Working Group on Migration, Government of India and member of the High-Level Railway Restructuring Committee, Ministry of Railways and of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. He received his PhD in economics from New York University and an MA and M.Phil from the Delhi School of Economics.

About the Chair

Patricia Uberoi is currently an Emeritus Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), Delhi. She served as the Chairperson of the Institute of Chinese Studies from 2015-2021. A sociologist by training, Uberoi has taught Sociology at the University of Delhi and the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and retired as Professor of Social Change and Development at the Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi. Her research interests centre on aspects of family, kinship, gender, popular culture and social policy in respect to both India and China.

Event Registration Link Here