China’s Births Hit Record Low, Pressuring Economy (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: China just recorded its lowest birth rate ever, and this has global implications. Last year in China, 7.9 million babies were born, but 11.3 million people died. That means China's population shrank again for the fourth year in a row. Why it matters, fewer babies today means fewer workers tomorrow and more retirees to support. A drag potentially for decades on the Chinese economy. So the important question, how has the government here in China tried to reverse this? China's made it easier for people to get married, and now offers cash to families with kids under the age of three. It's also an effort to make public preschool free nationwide. Some local governments have gone even further, offering housing subsidies, tax breaks, longer maternity leave, and birth control that was once tax-free, well, it's now taxed. Analysts say the costs of raising a child here are still high, jobs are uncertain, and many young people we speak with here say that they still are unconvinced.