More than 50,000 schools have reportedly closed as births decline
President Xi Jinping popularized the “Chinese Dream” slogan shortly after becoming general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in November 2012, the report noted. He has repeatedly used the phrase, turning it into one of the defining slogans of his leadership. The concept has since been woven into schools, official campaigns and social media.
China possesses the world’s second-largest economy and remains the only country widely viewed as having the economic scale necessary to challenge the United States, the report said. Washington has imposed tariffs, export controls and other restrictions to limit China’s advancement in semiconductors, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. Some forecasts suggest China could eventually overtake the United States in overall economic output, though the timing and likelihood remain disputed, according to the report.
China’s military operates three aircraft carriers and appears to be preparing for additional carrier development, the report said. U.S. government assessments project that its expanding nuclear arsenal could reach about 1,000 operational warheads by 2030. Guo Qingping, a Beijing-based military commentator, told Asia Today that Russia’s performance in the war in Ukraine had exposed limitations in Moscow’s military power and argued that China had become the only country capable of mounting a serious military challenge to the United States.
However, the report said the most consequential obstacle to the Chinese Dream may be China’s declining birthrate. More than 50,000 kindergartens, elementary schools and secondary schools have reportedly closed in recent years as the number of children has fallen. The demographic shift could shrink the labor force, weaken domestic consumption and place heavier pressure on pensions, healthcare systems and younger workers, the report said. A rapidly aging population could also reduce China’s long-term economic growth and undermine the resources available for military expansion, technological development and international influence.
Young people are struggling with unemployment, high housing costs and intense competition for a limited number of desirable jobs, the report said. The expression “lying flat” has reflected growing frustration among younger Chinese who no longer believe that relentless work will necessarily lead to financial security or upward mobility. China also views artificial intelligence as essential to its competition with the United States and is investing heavily in its development, but automation could eliminate or transform many jobs at a moment when university graduates are already struggling to find employment, according to the report.
Xi has sought to reinforce his control through a sweeping anti-corruption campaign, the report said. In January, Chinese authorities announced that Zhang Youxia, a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and one of Xi’s most senior military allies, was under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, demonstrating that even officials with long personal or family ties to Xi were not immune.
The Asia Today report, as translated by United Press International, concluded that the danger for China lies in pursuing geopolitical prestige while overlooking the domestic foundations needed to sustain it. It cited an old Chinese expression warning that going too far can be as harmful as not going far enough, and suggested that Xi’s pursuit of the Chinese Dream may require recognizing that the greatest threat to becoming the world’s leading power could come from within China’s own borders.