The most surprising demographic crisis
A new census raises questions about the future of China’s one-child policy
DOES China have enough people? The question might seem absurd. The country has long been famous both for having the world's largest population and for having taken draconian measures to restrain its growth. Though many people, Chinese and outsiders alike, have looked aghast at the brutal and coercive excesses of the one-child policy, there has also often been a grudging acknowledgment that China needed to do something to keep its vast numbers in check.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “The most surprising demographic crisis”
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