Is China's demography China's destiny? A chat with former World Bank economist Bert Hofman

When the National Bureau of Statistics recently revealed that China's population had shrunk in 2022 for the first time in 60 years, conventional wisdom predicted that China was headed for catastrophe, as its workforce shrank, its pension coffers dried up, and its healthcare system grew overtaxed. Not so fast, says Bert Hofman, who spent 22 years in Asia with the World Bank, focused chiefly on China. Now a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Government at the National University of Singapore, Bert offers a deeply-informed take on the challenges China does face — and how it might address them without suffering economic stagnation.4:24 – Why population decline isn’t necessarily bad5:55 – Why are low birth rates a challenge for China?7:49 – How China can offset the “demographic tax” of population decline13:40 – Is declining investment such a bad thing for China?18:27 – Common prosperity and the pension system23:45 – Challenges and solutions for healthcare reform27:41 – The logic of beginning with fiscal reform33:18 – The shortfalls of focusing on raising fertility rates38:06 – What can China learn from other countries?A complete transcript of this podcast is available at TheChinaProject.comRecommendations:Bert: China Reconnects by Wang Gungwu; The Last of Us on HBO MaxKaiser: Great Circle by Maggie ShipsteadSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.