China's one-child rule turns into a time bomb

[Mister D]

Interesting article

BEIJING — China's one-child policy has prevented almost half a billion births but has turned into a demographic time bomb as the population ages, storing up huge economic and social problems for the country.

As the world's population hits the seven billion mark, straining the earth's resources, China can claim to have curbed its birth rate to around 1.5 children per woman since the policy was introduced in 1979.

Without the birth limits, which no other country applies as rigorously or on such a scale, the world's most populous nation would have hundreds of millions more mouths to feed than the 1.34 billion it has now.

But from modern cities to remote villages, its implementation has involved abuses from mass sterilisation to abortions as late as eight months into the pregnancy. Baby girls have also been abandoned and killed.

Continues...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...74eac5df3c.aa1

[jgreer]

So how would you address the problem Mister D?

[Mister D]

So how would you address the problem Mister D?

I'm not a Chinaman. IOW, I wouldn't.

[Conley]

Wow, half of the over sixty population already lives alone.

It's stunning that even by taking such radical action they still have experienced the population explosion that they have. Old is not necessarily bad but old and poor is a definite recipe for suffering. I don't think the problem can be fixed at this point. Additionally it may have been a case where the Chinese government had to pick the lesser of two evils. At least this bought them time rather than the alternative.

[Conley]

So how would you address the problem Mister D?

I'm not a Chinaman. IOW, I wouldn't.

Aw, come on...jgreer is trying to play nice

[Mister D]

So how would you address the problem Mister D?

I'm not a Chinaman. IOW, I wouldn't.

Aw, come on...jgreer is trying to play nice

He's trying to be a smart ass. He complained about overpopulation on another thread and I asked him what he would do about it. He didn;t like that. So now he asks me what I would do about China's problem as if I were complaining about it. Just a point of fact post.

[Mister D]

Wow, half of the over sixty population already lives alone.

It's stunning that even by taking such radical action they still have experienced the population explosion that they have. Old is not necessarily bad but old and poor is a definite recipe for suffering. I don't think the problem can be fixed at this point. Additionally it may have been a case where the Chinese government had to pick the lesser of two evils. At least this bought them time rather than the alternative.

China faces serious difficulties.I was surprised that old age is creeping up on China even faster than it had on Europe.

[Conley]

Realistically I don't know what can be done about it. The only thing that gives me comfort is that even though the mean age has gone way up, people are generally much healthier now at that age. Maybe I'm wrong but that's my impression. Sixty isn't as close to the end as it used to be and there are plenty of 60+ folks who are still hard at work :-) I attribute it to improvements in preventative medicine and lower rates of smoking and drinking.

[Mister D]

China's crisis is approaching "incomparably faster" than in Europe, where fertility has fallen very gradually over the last century, Paris-based demographer Christophe Guilmoto told AFP

[Conley]

Wow, half of the over sixty population already lives alone.

It's stunning that even by taking such radical action they still have experienced the population explosion that they have. Old is not necessarily bad but old and poor is a definite recipe for suffering. I don't think the problem can be fixed at this point. Additionally it may have been a case where the Chinese government had to pick the lesser of two evils. At least this bought them time rather than the alternative.

China faces serious difficulties.I was surprised that old age is creeping up on China even faster than it had on Europe.

I was very surprised by that too. And there is a world of difference between old impoverished and in need of care in France (for example) than China. China to my knowledge has no comparable safety net and the welfare of the people doesn't seem a high priority of the government.