China's population drop. The one place Xi Jinping's power can't reach- bed

New data has just landed from Beijing. It does not bode well for Xi Jinping and his Communist Party, notes the Swedish outlet.

For the second consecutive year, China's population has seen a decline. In 2023, the country reported 500,000 fewer births than the previous year. "Simultaneously, the number of deaths also saw an increase. As a result, China's population decreased by approximately two million, double the figure from the previous year," the report reads.

China's population is declining rapidly, marking the first occasion since the severe famine around the 1950s and 1960s. For many years, the nation held the title of the most populated. "Communist leaders were having migraines due to the high number of births. Thus, in 1980, a one-child policy was introduced — a harsh law that penalized couples for having more than one child," recalls "Expressen", observing that "the regulation was too effective," leading to the government permitting couples to have two children in 2015.

Swedish journalists suggest that Xi Jinping is acutely aware of the problem since the ongoing demographic crisis poses a significant threat to China's economy and future. Xi's proposed solution is to encourage Chinese women to return to traditional domestic roles. He stated it's essential to "actively foster a new culture of marriage and childbearing." "But young Chinese women aren't heeding the call," the Swedes remark, pointing out the shifting times and the changing focus of Chinese women from homemaking to pursuing careers and work.

Source: "Expressen"