February 2022

China starts nationwide pooling of basic pension funds

China has started nationwide pooling of basic pension funds since Jan. 1 this year, Vice Minister of Finance Yu Weiping said Tuesday. Read also China to allow more pension providers The move will allow pension funds to be transfered from regions with surplus to regions with deficit, Yu said at a press conference, adding the ministry is drawing up related documents and will strengthen guidance to localities. Read also China releases 5-year plan for elderly care services Qi Tao, an official from the...

China releases 5-year plan for elderly care services

China's State Council has released a plan for the development of the country's elderly care services system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), in its latest step to implement a national strategy to address population aging. The plan specifies major goals and tasks for the five-year period, including expanding the supply of elderly care services, improving the health support mechanism for the elderly, and advancing the innovative and integrated development of service models. It lists nine major indicators, such as...

China to allow more pension providers

China will expand its commercial pension pilot scheme nationwide from March 1 this year and allow other pension providers to participate in addition to six Chinese life insurers that have been allowed previously, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said on Monday (February 21). CBIRC asked pension providers to keep exploring new products to cater to the need of new economy and flexible workers. It initiated a one-year pilot scheme for commercial pension products in Zhejiang and Chongqing province from June...

Kenya’s pension industry eyes partnership with Chinese firms to spur investment returns

Kenya's pension industry said Thursday it plans to partner with Chinese firms in order to boost returns on investments. Sundeep Raichura, chairman of Kenya Pension Fund Investment Consortium (KEPFIC), told Xinhua in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, that they are keen to collaborate with foreign firms that have the expertise to undertake viable infrastructure projects such as roads, rail and energy plants. Read also Ghana. GH¢10bn private pensions funds available for investment in GSE securities – Deputy MD "As the Kenyan pension industry,...

January 2022

China rolling out perks to encourage couples to have 3rd child amid demographic crisis

Amidst a demographic crisis (/topic/demographic-crisis), China is happily rolling out a slew of supportive measures to encourage couples to have a third child. Fabien Baussart, President of CPFA (Center of Political and Foreign Affairs), in a blog post in The Times of Israel said that the new sets of incentives include perks such as baby bonuses, extended paid leaves, tax cuts and childbearing subsidies, among others. The Chinese authorities are pushing organizations and local administrations to offer handsome douceur to the...

Solving China’s population puzzle

China Daily's Chen Meiling interviewed Yuan Xin, a professor of demography at the Population and Development Research Institute, School of Economics of Nankai University in Tianjin, on the significance of the latest population data. Following are the extracts from the interview: Q: The Chinese mainland's population reached about 1.41 billion at the end of 2021, an increase of 480,000 over 2020, according to the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics in mid-January. What is your view on the...

Investors need to create own targets for China

Asset owners need to actively determine what their exposures to China's fast-growing equity universe should be, rather than relying on emerging markets benchmark indexes providing limited access now to some of the mainland's most compelling alpha and diversification opportunities, according to Acadian Asset Management LLC. The $113 billion Boston-based quant manager's Dec. 16 paper, "Polarizing Views: China's Impact on Emerging Markets Investing," calls on institutional investors to review and revamp their allocations to China, unconstrained by benchmark weights, based on...

In a Highly Indebted Economy: Security Issues for the Asset-based China’s Reform and the Financial System

By Tianyong Zhou Since the start of the 21st century, all major global economies have been experiencing a shift to a model of low consumption, low interest rate, low inflation, low growth and high debt. China is no exception. This article argues that in the high-indebtedness economic model, the proportion of committed and guaranteed debt service credit is decreasing, while the proportion of asset-backed credit corresponding to debt is on the rise; and with respect to currency stability, the role...

China’s birth rate drops to record low in 2021, population aging

The birth rate in mainland China slipped to a record low in 2021, government data showed Monday, despite efforts by the Chinese government to prevent the country's population from aging further. In China, 10.62 million babies were born in 2021, a rate of 7.52 per 1,000 people, the lowest level since Mao Zedong founded the Communist-led People's Republic of China in 1949. Read also David Sinclair explains what an ageing population means for economies around the world The population aged 65...

China. Plan focuses on affordable elderly care

China is taking steps to make affordable nursing services available to more elderly people in the next four years to meet the needs of its aging population and improve the quality of their lives. Read also Malaysia. Tweak pension fund to benefit low- income workers The State Council recently approved the public service plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, which said the Chinese people have higher requirements for better lives, with public services including education, medical treatment and nursing...