Politics
China’s birth-rate push sputters as couples stay child-free
BEIJING: Twenty-five-year-old Grace and her husband are set on staying child-free, resisting pressure from their parents and society to produce offspring, even as China strives to boost its flagging birth rate.
A decade since China scrapped its stringent one-child policy and implemented a two-child policy in January 2016, the nation is dealing with a looming demographic crisis.
The country’s population has shrunk for three straight years, with the United Nations predicting it could fall from 1.4 billion today to 633 million by 2100.
There were just 9.54 million births in China in 2024 — half the number than in 2016 — and concerns about the shrinking and ageing population have been growing as couples choose to buck traditional Chinese norms.
More young people like Grace, who refers to herself and her husband as DINKs — or “dual income no kids” — have either sworn against having children at all or are putting it off for the next few years.
These couples’ reasons run the gamut from high child-rearing costs to career concerns.
Grace, who asked to be identified by her English name over fears of repercussions, said she needed to have a decent income and “some savings” before starting a family.
Without these conditions, “I wouldn’t even consider having kids”, the content creator added.
The term “DINK” has gone viral on Chinese social media, including Xiaohongshu, where its hashtag has received more than 731 million views, sparking differing views on the subject.
“If I were to widely publicise the fact that I’m a DINK and talk about how comfortable my life is, there would definitely be many people who wouldn’t be happy about it,” Grace told AFP.
Changing attitudes
Chinese authorities have rolled out pronatalist incentives after ending its one-child policy — which had been in place for more than three decades to address poverty and overpopulation.
Top leaders have pledged more childcare relief, including subsidies to parents to the tune of $500 per year for every child under the age of three, state media reported in July.
But experts say China, which was overtaken by India as the world’s most populous nation in 2023, still faces significant hurdles in boosting its birth rate.
“The number of people choosing not to marry or not to have children is increasing, and fertility intentions among the younger generation are weak,” He Yafu, an independent Chinese demographer, told AFP.
Cultural constraints have limited the long-term effectiveness of China’s pronatalist measures, said Pan Wang, an associate professor at Australia’s University of New South Wales.
“The one-child policy fundamentally reshaped family norms and also people’s lifestyles, because many people, especially the one-child generation, were used to and often prefer smaller family sizes,” Wang told AFP.
The rising living costs in China and economic uncertainty also continue to deter childbearing, she added.
Beijing resident Wang Zibo, 29, said he and his wife have decided to wait for the “economy to stabilise” before they have children, even though he said he is in “quite good” financial standing.
“Looking at things in China right now, the main reason (why young couples are not having children) is still that the economy is somewhat weak,” he told AFP.
China has struggled to maintain a strong economic recovery from the pandemic, while many employees work long hours under a gruelling “996” culture — 9:00am to 9:00pm, six days a week.
“People have been excessively busy with work… for some, it’s difficult even to find the time to think about (starting a family),” Wang said.
No time, no money
China in 2021 further relaxed its strict family planning controls, allowing couples to have three children — something many couples, especially those living in cities, are reluctant to do.
Even having one child is a huge responsibility, Wang said, citing the example of a friend who had a baby shortly after he got married.
“He would constantly tell me… not only do you have no time and you spend all your money on the child, you kind of lose yourself in the process too.”
Demographer He said if China’s fertility rate of around 1.0 persists in the long term, the most obvious consequences will be a continued decline in population size and rapid population ageing.
“This will increase the future burden of elderly care, weaken China’s overall national strength, and drag on economic development,” he added.
- US embassy warns arrests can revoke student visas.
- Embassy cites deportation risk and future visa ineligibility.
- “A US visa is a privilege, not a right,” embassy says.
The US embassy in India warned on Thursday that arrests or violations of US laws can lead to student visa revocation, deportation and future ineligibility for US visas.
In a post on X, the embassy’s account @USAndIndia said: “Breaking US laws can have serious consequences for your student visa.”
“If you are arrested or violate any laws, your visa may be revoked, you may be deported, and you could be ineligible for future US visas. Follow the rules and don’t jeopardise your travel. A US visa is a privilege, not a right,” it added.
The warning follows other recent messaging by the US embassy in New Delhi on visa compliance.
In December, the embassy said it would deny tourist visa applications if consular officers believe the trip is primarily aimed at giving birth in the United States to secure US citizenship for a child.
“This is not permitted,” the embassy said in a post on X.
Gulf News reported the move added to uncertainty for Indian visa holders, including professionals who account for over 70% of H-1B approvals and nearly 90% of H-4 visas with work authorisation.
The US Embassy in India has also rescheduled visa interviews for some applicants, issuing fresh appointment dates extending to mid-2026.
Separately, the Trump administration in September proposed changes to rework the H-1B visa selection process to favour higher-skilled and better-paid workers, a Federal Register notice said.
The proposal followed a White House proclamation introducing a $100,000 fee for the visas.
If annual requests exceed the statutory limit of 85,000, the notice said, heavier weight would be given to applications by employers who pay high wages, with the stated aim of protecting Americans from unfair wage competition from foreign workers.
President Trump, a Republican, sought to reshape the H-1B process during his 2017–2021 presidency, but was stymied by federal courts and limited time at the end of his presidency.
Tighter US immigration policies are also feeding into wider concerns in India.
Matchmakers, academics and prospective brides and grooms say families are less inclined to marry their children to Indian citizens based in the US, citing fears that potential partners could lose their job or immigration status. There is no official government data on marriages between Indian citizens living at home and overseas.
Indian government figures put the US Indian diaspora at around 2.1 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). Since returning to office in January, Trump has launched a broad immigration crackdown, including efforts to limit legal pathways to residency.
Indians accounted for 71% of H-1B visas last year, while US Citizenship and Immigration Services data show that about 75% of H-1B visas issued to Indian citizens in 2024 were awarded to men.
For students, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement data show there were 422,335 Indian students in the US in 2024, with visa-policy uncertainty prompting many to rethink the “American Dream”.
CHONGQING, CHINA: Outstretching his hands in a signature Donald Trump pose, impersonator Ryan Chen mimics the US president’s voice and gestures with such accuracy that he has become a social media phenomenon with his funny videos.
The 42-year-old from southwest China does not engage in political satire — a minefield in the country that can lead to account suspension — but has amassed millions of followers across Instagram, TikTok and Chinese platforms.
“Trump is an endless well that never runs dry, because he draws more online traffic than anyone else on the planet,” Chen told AFP in his hometown of Chongqing, which itself has gone viral over its labyrinthine cityscape and spicy food.
During his videos, which are in English with Chinese subtitles, Chen lightheartedly presents Chinese cuisine, customs, cultural differences, jokes with foreigners and dances to Village People´s “YMCA”, one of Trump´s trademark stage songs.
And all his clips are peppered with Trump´s unmistakable mannerisms and buzzwords like “tremendous” and “amazing”.
“I’m not into politics, but I think he is a very good entertainer,” said Chen of the American president, whom he followed when Trump hosted the reality TV show “The Apprentice”.
“If I imitate him, it´s not to make fun of him. It´s to get attention,” he told AFP in a white cowboy hat.
“With that attention, I can boost my career, as well as promote China and my hometown.”
‘Like a neighbour’
Chen stumbled across his online fame by chance, only taking off in 2025 with Trump´s return to the White House.
The fan of “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory” — who had never visited the United States before this year — started making online videos to teach English as a “back-up plan” from his job in architecture, a sector hit hard by the property crisis in China.
He had moderate success, but his videos only went viral after a friend challenged him to imitate Trump.
His appearance in April on a livestream by IShowSpeed, an American YouTuber with over 47 million subscribers who was visiting China at the time, further boosted his visibility.
Chen said Trump has become such a big part of his life he now feels a certain familiarity with him, “like a next-door neighbour”.
He sees himself as a “bridge” between international internet users eager to discover urban China, its “lively” atmosphere, and Chinese people keen to understand foreign humour and cultures.
The impersonator now has more than a million followers on Instagram, almost as many on TikTok, and more than 2.5 million on Chinese platforms, and is recognised on the streets.
Chen, who learned English by watching his favourite American series, said his secret is to sound like a “native speaker”.
Another imperative is to “stay tuned” to news on Trump, who is “a goldmine of funny material”, according to Chen, who said he also draws inspiration from American impressionists of the president.
‘Try our hotpot’
The impersonator, whose real name is Chen Rui, said he is now able to make a living from his work through promotion, events and corporate parties.
“My main source of income is advertising,” he said, with brands for cars, digital products, games or milk hiring him for their campaigns.
In a sign his work has not upset the Trump administration, Chen announced in a video he had obtained a visa for the United States, which he is currently visiting for the first time.
And with Trump set to visit China this year, Chen called on the president to travel to Chongqing and “try our hotpot”, which is famously spicy.
While a meeting between the real Trump and his Chinese impersonator would “probably be cool”, Chen said he has no “burning desire” to do so because it would quickly become a diplomatic affair.
“I’m just a comedian,” he said. “I have no political aspirations.
- US to withdraw from 35 non-UN groups, 31 UN entities.
- Trump cites conflict with US interests for withdrawal.
- Move reflects Trump’s scepticism of multilateral institutions.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the United States would withdraw from dozens of international and UN entities, including a key climate treaty and a UN Body that promotes gender equality and women’s empowerment, because they “operate contrary to US national interests.”
Among the 35 non-UN groups and 31 UN entities Trump listed in a memo, opens new tab to senior administration officials is the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — described by many as the “bedrock” climate treaty which is parent agreement to the 2015 Paris climate deal.
The United States skipped the annual UN international climate summit last year for the first time in three decades.
“The United States would be the first country to walk away from the UNFCCC,” said Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“Every other nation is a member, in part because they recognize that even beyond the moral imperative of addressing climate change, having a seat at the table in those negotiations represents an ability to shape massive economic policy and opportunity,” said Bapna.
The US will also quit UN Women, which works for gender equality and the empowerment of women, and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the international body’s agency focused on family planning as well as maternal and child health in more than 150 countries. The US cut its funding for the UNFPA last year.
“For United Nations entities, withdrawal means ceasing participation in or funding to those entities to the extent permitted by law,” reads the memo. Trump has already largely slashed voluntary funding to most UN agencies.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump wary of multilateral organisations
Trump’s move reflects his long-standing wariness of multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations. He has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness, cost and accountability of international bodies, arguing they often fail to serve US interests.
Since beginning his second term a year ago, Trump has sought to slash US funding for the United Nations, stopped US engagement with the UN Human Rights Council, extended a halt to funding for the Palestinian relief agency UNRWA and quit the UN cultural agency UNESCO. He has also announced plans to quit the World Health Organsation and the Paris climate agreement.
Other entities on the US list are the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the International Energy Forum, the UN Register of Conventional Arms and the UN Peacebuilding Commission.
The White House said the dozens of entities that Washington was seeking to depart as soon as possible promote “radical climate policies, global governance, and ideological programs that conflict with US sovereignty and economic strength.”
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