CHINA TAKES "DECISIVE" ACTION ON FALLING BIRTHRATES - $137 TO GET MARRIED UNDER 26

It looks like the Chinese sleeping dragon has finally woken up to confront the main threat to the nation, namely its plunging fertility rate, thought to be in the region of around one kid per woman (or 50% depopulation every generation). 

But the response is not coming from the central government but from a local county that is now offering couples a bribe to get married

As reported by Reuters: 

HONG KONG, Aug 29 (Reuters) - A county in eastern China is offering couples a "reward" of 1,000 yuan ($137) if the bride is aged 25 or younger, the latest measure to incentivise young people to get married amid rising concern over a declining birth rate.

The notice, which was published on Changshan county's official Wechat account last week, said the reward was to promote "age-appropriate marriage and childbearing" for first marriages. It also included a series of childcare, fertility and education subsidies for couples who have children.

Concerned about China's first population drop in six decades and its rapid ageing population, authorities are urgently trying an array of measures to lift the birth rate including financial incentives and improved childcare facilities.

It is unlikely that one county offering a minor financial inducement will make much difference, as the reasons for China's plummeting fertility are deep rooted.

China's legal age limit for marriage is 22 for males and 20 for females, but the number of couples getting married has been falling. That has driven down birth rates due to official policies which make it harder for single women to have children.

Marriage rates hit a record low in 2022 at 6.8 million, the lowest since 1986, according to government data released in June. There were 800,000 fewer marriages last year than in 2021.

China's fertility rate, already one of the world's lowest, is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, state media reported.

High childcare costs and having to stop their careers have put many women off having more children or any at all. Gender discrimination and traditional stereotypes of women caring for their children are still widespread throughout the country.

Low consumer confidence and growing concerns over the health of China’s economy are also key factors cited by young Chinese for not wanting to get married and have children.

More radical action will clearly be required. but almost anything the central government could do to improve the demographic situation is sure to have immediate negative economic and political blowback for China's leaders, whose power, while increasingly centralised under Xi Jinping, is more and more brittle. 

Over the coming decades, expect to see more pushes for "reclaiming Taiwan" and increasing "muh Chinese living space," while the Chinese race itself increasingly dies away.