what Ukraine means for China, page-19

China is facing a demographic disaster that will make continued growth impossible. Its population is shrinking and aging, and this will only accelerate into the future, based on diminishing births and existing gender imbalance. It does not have an adequate pension system to manage this, and its scale is too large to consider migration as a solution. Demography is destiny and China's golden years are behind it, the question 'will China grow old before it grows rich?' is settled.

Its current mad behaviour in places like Hong Kong and Shangai will accelerate its decline, it is leading to an exodus of expats and businesses, and adding to the sense of the CCP being unpredictable and totalitarian.

Its foreign policy in recent years has turned away key international partners - it has antagonised its neighbours with unnecessary border and territorial aggression, bullying towards countries like Australia, tension with the US and the EU. It hitched its wagon to Russia, which turned out to be less of a bear and more of a lemming.

China is cooked.