It was a decision which caused a stir in the media, particularly amongst the foreign press.  Recently the Shanghai Municipal Government announced that it was encouraging people to have two children.  And although it was mistakenly interpreted by some media outlets as a break from the one-child policy, it raises the larger question of why officials in Shanghai are concerned about the demographics of the city.  According to Forbes, currently among the population of Shanghai, one in five people is a senior.  And in the next 10 years, that estimate is expected to increase to a one to three ratio, giving rise to concerns about a number of things, including an available workforce and the impacts on the healthcare system.  And China-wide, it's estimated that by 2050, 24 percent of the population of this country, some 350 million people, will be over the age of 65.  So what can be done to stabilize the population demographics? 

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  In this edition of the show we'll be taking about China's aging population.  So let's get started.

(Music)

First we'll hear from a Chinese aging expert.  Professor Du Peng is the Deputy Director of the Population and Development Research Center at Renmin University.

(Dialogue with Du)

And after a short break, we'll hear from a foreign demographics expert.

(Promo)

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  I'm Paul James in Beijing.  In this edition of the show we're talking about China's aging population.  For more on this we’re joined on the line now by Mr. Robert England, demographics consultant based in the US.

(Dialogue with England)

And with that we close out this edition of  People In the Know, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International.  While an aging population has its problems, the fact that people here in China are living longer is a testament to the efforts being undertaken to improve people's quality of life.  Questions or comments for us can be sent to people@cri.com.cn.  You and also now catch our program on your mobile phone by logging onto M.CRI.CN.  For Producers Chen Mo and Xu Yang and Intern Lu Jia, I’m Paul James in Beijing.  We'll talk to you tomorrow.