A top economist has joined the growing list of China’s elite to have disappeared from public life after criticizing Xi Jinping, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Zhu Hengpeng served as deputy director of the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for around a decade.

CASS is a state research think tank that reports directly to China’s cabinet. Chen Daoyin, a former associate professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, described it as a “body to formulate party ideology to support the leadership.”

According to the Journal, the 55-year-old disappeared shortly after remarking on China’s sluggish economy and criticizing Xi’s leadership in a private group on WeChat.

      • HobbitFoot
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        4112 hours ago

        Even then, it isn’t healthy, just healthier. The USA is still going to going to experience economic issues of a growing elderly population, it just won’t be as bad.

        • @Shard@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          This is the new normal for highly developed economies. The best they can hope for is a 1 to 1 replacement of their population. We’re not likely to see another baby boom occur.

          We’re not going to see a typical population pyramid any more. Because that means a large infant death rate and either war, disasters or a massive suicide epidemic cutting away the young adult population to get the pyramid shape.

          • @zbyte64@awful.systems
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            55 hours ago

            Given that the amount of habitable land will decrease causing mass migrations, you don’t need a 1 to 1 ratio to maintain a population size.

        • @cygnus@lemmy.ca
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          3412 hours ago

          The US have the benefit of essentially limitless immigration that they can adjust at will. On the other hand, China’s leadership, being Han supremacist, is not receptive to immigration at all.

          • @rammer@sopuli.xyz
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            150 minutes ago

            The US have the benefit of essentially limitless immigration

            Except that even in the Americas the population is declining. There is a limit to it. The US can outlast many other countries because of immigration but it too has to face the same problem as everyone else.

          • @UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
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            4 hours ago

            The US have the benefit of essentially limitless immigration

            glances at US immigration policy

            Does it?

            China’s leadership, being Han supremacist, is not receptive to immigration at all.

            Wit drier than a lint trap.

          • HobbitFoot
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            79 hours ago

            Immigration definitely helps, especially compared to China. I’m just noting that there will still be some decrease in the ratio of retired workers to current workers.

          • @Ferrous@lemmy.ml
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            211 hours ago

            Have you… have you seen how Americans have been talking about the border? Especially this election cycle? I don’t know if would characterize either party’s constituencies as “receptive”.

        • @cygnus@lemmy.ca
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          1812 hours ago

          Basically, yes. The sides are nearly parallel, which is great. Compare with China’s, which forms a steep V. Once GenX hits retirement age they are completely screwed. The CCP’s recent push for “traditional family values” and increased birth rates is no coincidence.

    • @Eheran@lemmy.world
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      1213 hours ago

      The birthing rates are only dropping, in 15 years all of those people will be to old to work but there are not nearly enough to replace them.