The Demographically Uncertain Foreign Policy of Today’s China

... Russia. For the country to be competitive and to push its economy to a radically new level, Chinese authorities would have to invest more in education programmes and improve their technological cooperation with the developed world. This would force China to focus its foreign policy on cooperation, rather than on confrontation. Age and Foreign Policy Options Another factor directly affecting Chinese foreign policy is the age structure of the population. Rapid ageing leads to a shortage of labour and to excessive welfare costs. And this, in turn, may restrain international involvement, diverting military budgets and affecting the country’s ...