According to the United Nations, China’s population officially peaked in 2021, and as a result of its rapidly falling fertility rates, the population of the entire world is peaking sooner than expected in 2084. With roughly 300 million Chinese retiring over the next 10 years – close to the entire U.S. population – what does this aging society mean for Beijing’s economic and military ambitions? Could the demographic trends show Beijing that its window of opportunity for military might is closing, meaning Xi Jinping is running out of time for a possible Taiwan contingency?
