China is home to the world’s largest ageing population. In 2023, there were 216.76 million people over 65 years old: more than 15.4 percent of the total population and much higher than the global average of 10 percent.[1] China is on track to be a ‘super-aged’ society in 2030, when at least 20 percent of … more
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) turned 10 in 2023. Assessing its progress to date is challenging, given the persistent lack of consensus on its true nature. Few global initiatives evoke such disparate perceptions. To some, the BRI epitomises the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) audacious foray into twenty-first-century grand strategy, a bold vision for … more
China’s economy experienced a bumpy journey in 2023, with fluctuations in each quarter. In the first quarter, GDP growth reached 4.5 percent, exceeding market expectations and marking a strong start to an economic recovery following the three-year COVID-19 prevention and control policy regime. In the second quarter, it grew by 6.3 percent, which, considering the … more
The disappearance of former state councilor and foreign minister Qin Gang 秦刚 in June 2023, and the former defense minister General Li Shangfu 李尚福 in August, raises questions about the supreme leader Xi Jinping’s personnel management. A score of senior officers from the Rocket Force and departments in charge of weapons procurement also got the … more
