China's Long March to Retirement Reform: How the Coming Age Wave Will Reshape China’s Economy and Society

A policy forum co-hosted by The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Global Aging Initiative and the Freeman Chair in China Studies.
 
The forum presented the findings of the new CSIS report, China’s Long March to Retirement Reform: The Graying of the Middle Kingdom Revisited. The report, which was released in April at CSIS forums held in Beijing and Shanghai, warns that the aging of China’s population could usher in a new era of slower economic growth and mounting social stress as tens of millions of Chinese arrive at old age over the next few decades without pensions and with inadequate family support. The report evaluates recent government efforts to prepare for the challenge and outlines an ambitious new reform plan. With China confronting a serious near-term economic slowdown, some may conclude that now is not the right time to address the long-term aging challenge. The report argues that China’s age wave is approaching so fast—and its potential economic and social costs are so large—that delay is not an option.

Moderator
Charles Freeman
Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS

Presenter
Richard Jackson
Program Director & Senior Fellow, Global Aging Initiative, CSIS

Discussant
Nicholas Eberstadt
Henry Wendt Scholar in Political Economy, American Enterprise Institute

Q&A