Thread: China's 4-2-1 Problem

Study: China faces 24M bride shortage by 2020 - CNN.com

Study: China faces 24M bride shortage by 2020

(CNN) -- Some 24 million Chinese men of marrying age will find themselves lacking wives in 2020, partly because of the country's one-child policy, which has led to the abortion of female fetuses, state media said Monday.

Sex-specific abortions have led to a large male population born since the 1980s, the China Daily newspaper said, citing a study conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The gender imbalance means that the next decade will see many intergenerational marriages: young men married to women much older than them, the study said.

China's Communist Party implemented the one-child rule three decades ago, amid fears that the country would not be able to feed a skyrocketing population. The policy has prevented about 400 million births, China Daily said.

Couples living in cities are barred from having more than one child, unless neither parent has siblings. In rural areas, the law allows for a second child under certain circumstances. And the guidelines are looser for ethnic minorities with small populations.

Enforcement varies, but usually takes the form of fines to discourage extra births.

The policy has curbed population growth, and has led to forced sterilization in some parts of the country, the U.S. State Department said. Because of a traditional preference for male heirs, many Chinese also have aborted female fetuses, according to human rights groups.

Even within the country, calls to overhaul the law have increased in recent years, China Daily said.

But China has said it will maintain its one-child policy for at least another decade.

Nearly 200 million Chinese will enter child-bearing age in the next 10 years, Minister Zhang Weiqing told China Daily two years ago. He said abandoning the policy during this period would cause "serious problems and add extra pressure on social and economic development."

"After the new birth peak ends, we may adjust the policy if there is a need," he said.

China's population, which stands at about 1.3 billion, is growing at the rate of 0.6 percent. It is expected to peak around 1.6 billion by 2050, the U.S. State Department said.

Sounds like a lot of angry young men.

Originally Posted by Shek

Sounds like a lot of angry young men.

Terrific. Just what we need.

A military/economic giant populated by a bunch of guys that'll probably never get 'em some.

Originally Posted by TopHatter

Terrific. Just what we need.

A military/economic giant populated by a bunch of guys that'll probably never get 'em some.

Remember, this can cut both ways - either externally or internally. Given that the 4-2-1 problem has created a generation of little emperors, the will for parents to encourage their only kid to go and fight in the PLA may be dampened. Maybe OOE or Andy could comment on how the accompanying "little emperor" problem has affected the PLA's move towards a professional, volunteer force.

Overall the PLA still can fill its enlistment quota, but good educated recruits are no longer cheap.

The Chinese that follow the "one-child-policy"is likely to be middle class and urban, they might not want to send their educated one-child to the middle of no where. Don't think they will have problems filling the foot soldiers rank from farms out of Sichuan or Guangxi anytime soon. As for Beijing, Shanghai or Guangdong, it is a different story.

It is a SOP for the PLA to mix recruits from all over China into a single unit to prevent regionalism. After all, the last occurrence of "warlord-ism" was only 70 years ago. (or 40 years ago as some would argue)


I guess "Serve the people" is losing out to "lifetime of benefits"

Beijing Youth Daily, the final ad, set to appear in the Beijing Daily next week, will feature a woman wearing one of the new uniforms set against the text "One soldier glorifies the whole family. One term of service earns a lifetime of benefits."

Yang Liwei wants YOU for the PLA!




China troops eye $23,000 bonus for Tibet service

China troops eye $23,000 bonus for Tibet service | World | Reuters

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese soldiers from the southern boomtown of Guangzhou who are newly assigned to Tibet will get a "special allowance" of up to 160,000 yuan ($23,440) for serving there, a local newspaper reported on Saturday.

There are 240 soldiers from Guangzhou in a contingent of 520 from Guangdong province assigned to the restive Himalayan region, the Guangzhou daily reported in a front page story also on their website (gzdaily.dayoo.com).

"These new soldiers who are going to Tibet are outstanding new soldiers who have gone through a strict selection process," the paper said.

"The whole province has a laid down a preferential policy for soldiers going to Tibet, and soldiers registered in Guangzhou who are posted to Tibet, will be able to get a special allowance of up to 160,000 yuan."

The "special allowance" is paid by local governments to the families of new soldiers to compensate for the loss of their labour, according to China Military Online, sponsored by the People's Liberation Army Daily.

It varies depending on where the soldier is from, and where they are posted.
The Guangzhou paper gave no details of other bonuses, but the potential payment for those heading to Tibet is generous even for one of the richest parts of China, more than what many graduates would hope to earn as an annual salary.

The high-altitude Tibetan region was wracked by deadly ethnic violence in 2008 and has seen sporadic outbreaks of unrest since then. Besides ethnic tensions, the climate is harsh and most of the region is at a high altitude that can be hard to adjust to.
(Reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by Sugita Katyal)