China’s population shrank last year for the first time in 70 years, experts said, warning of a “demographic crisis” that puts pressure on the country’s slowing economy. READ ALSO: Man allegedly beats neighbour’s wife into comaYi, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is a long-term critic of the one-child policy and his work has previously gained traction among the country’s leadership. Enforced through fines but notorious for cases of forced abortions and sterilisation, the one-child policy caused birth rates to plummet after it was introduced in 1979. China’s National Bureau of Statistics is expected to release official nationwide birth figures for 2018 later this month. China’s labour force is becoming smaller as the population greys, putting intense strain on the country’s fragile pension and healthcare systems.

Source: Punch January 03, 2019 12:00 UTC