China Watch: Promoting Movement and the “Last Generation”

In recent years, China has been facing a population crisis with an accelerating aging population while young people are reluctant to marry and have children. The Chinese authorities have launched a “birth promotion” campaign in response to this issue. Various regions have started promoting childbirth through activities such as childbirth subsidies and maternity leave, but the public’s response has been lukewarm. Experts believe that the Chinese government is merely paying lip service and may resort to manipulating data to show progress. Some young Chinese have declared themselves as the “last generation” due to political and economic pressures.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang proposed in this year’s government work report during “Two Sessions” to formulate policies to promote childbirth and provide childcare subsidies. The National Health Commission of China recently initiated a “2025 High-Quality Population Development Research” campaign, urging health commissions across the country to study and propose further improvements to fertility support measures and strengthen medium- to long-term policy reserves from March to October.

Various regions have introduced new so-called “improved childbirth” policies. For example, Zhejiang has implemented policies claiming to assist young people in a comprehensive range from marriage, childbirth, childcare, education to career development. Inner Mongolia’s Hohhot city has significantly increased childbirth subsidies, offering 100,000 RMB for the third child. Dalian has implemented maternity leave regulations, and Ningxia has extended marriage leave from 10 days to 13 days, increased maternity leave to 60 days, and provided 10 days of paternity leave for parents of infants and young children aged 0 to 3.

Mr. Wang, a resident of Pudong, Shanghai, expressed to a media outlet that the biggest challenge facing Chinese people now is the lack of offspring, as young people are unwilling to have children. He shared that his two sons, both in their thirties, are not interested in having children. He highlighted the economic difficulties faced by young people as a key reason for their reluctance to start a family.

Single worker Qin, 28, mentioned in an interview that the so-called marriage and childbirth subsidies offered by various regions are merely token gestures and cannot address the issue of young people being unable to afford starting a family due to high living costs.

Living in China, Qin compared life to being in a large prison where he and his friends are unhappy. He emphasized that bringing children into such a world is considered a crime by many, as they do not want the next generation to suffer as they do.

Historian Li Yuanhua in Australia commented that China’s declining birth rate, as reflected in the government’s call for local fertility support policies, has directly impacted the overall economy. However, he believes that these measures are only cosmetic and do not address the root of the problem. The lack of funds at various government levels and economic difficulties faced by many individuals contribute to the declining birth rates.

The Chinese government introduced multiple measures last year to encourage young people to marry and have children. However, these efforts have not been successful, as the policies fail to address the fundamental issues affecting the population. Li Yuanhua criticized the government for focusing on superficial initiatives rather than genuinely addressing societal problems and noted the repeated failures of such policy actions.

On February 8, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs released data showing a significant decrease in registered marriages to a new low, while the number of divorces increased. The National Bureau of Statistics of China reported in January that the country’s birth rate in 2024 stood at 6.77‰, with a natural population growth rate of -0.99‰, resulting in a continuous decline in the population for three consecutive years.

Associate Professor Feng Chongyi from the University of Technology Sydney stated that China’s three-decade-long one-child policy has significantly reduced the country’s population base due to forced abortions and sterilizations, causing long-term damage to generations. He highlighted that many young people in China face significant challenges in education, homeownership, and healthcare, leading them to believe that bringing children into such circumstances would be detrimental. Feng criticized the temporary incentives offered by the government as inadequate solutions that fail to address the underlying issues.

Concerns were raised recently following reports of single women in Beijing and elderly widows in Shanghai who had their significant inheritances confiscated by the government after their passing. This sparked controversy online, with many young Chinese bloggers sharing a lawyer’s reminder that “not marrying and having children will result in the confiscation of inheritances.” In response, young people defiantly stated that their only inheritance is their own bodies and expressed a lack of interest in such threats.

In May 2022, during extreme quarantine and epidemic control measures in Shanghai, a video surfaced online showing health authorities threatening a young couple with “public security penalties” and repercussions affecting three generations if they refused to undergo centralized isolation. The couple responded, “This is our last generation, thank you.” This statement resonated with many Chinese netizens, indicating a growing sentiment of resistance against the authoritarian regime’s policies, particularly concerning procreation.