Preparing for China's Aging Challenge

The forum will present the findings of the new CSIS report, The Graying of the Middle Kingdom: The Demographics and Economics of Retirement Policy in China. By 2040 there will be 400 million Chinese elders, which is more than the total current population of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom combined. The vast majority are due to reach old age without a pension and without health-care coverage. How China navigates its aging challenge will go a long way toward determining whether it achieves its aspiration of becoming a prosperous and stable developed economy. The Graying of the Middle Kingdom, which was released in April at a CSIS conference in Beijing, explains how demography is about to transform China and its role in the world order. It also lays out steps China needs to take to avert social and economic crisis later in the century.

Chaired by
Bates Gill, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS

Presenters:
Richard Jackson, Director, Global Aging Initiative, CSIS
Neil Howe, Senior Advisor, Global Aging Initiative, CSIS

Discussants:
Nicholas Eberstadt, Henry Wendt Chair in Political Economy, AEI
Estelle James, Consultant on Pension Reform
John J. Haley, President & CEO, Watson Wyatt Worldwide