Population policy

LIKE so many other countries, China is facing a graying population. We now have been told that a family can have three children instead of just two. We hope this new policy will slow the aging of the population and stimulate the economy with more working-age people in the future. We are however overlooking a point where we can far more easily “add” productive people to the population.

Tens of thousands of people lose their life in traffic accidents yearly in China and many more are injured or disabled due to these accidents. You can imagine what a loss of productivity this is. Many of those people killed were active members of the economy, having gone through school, university or other training. So if we want to preserve and expand our pool of active contributors to the economy, we should have a good look at these accidents and see how many of them could have been prevented by just simple traffic education. Traffic education is not taught adequately in school. Next to that for the older generation we should set up traffic education through WeChat and other platforms.

Another very important matter is ENFORCEMENT of traffic rules through stiff penalties either monetary or point system based.

Save lives, follow the traffic rules.

Jeffry Kuperus via email

Rat race

IN Wu Guangqiang’s opinion piece on July 5, titled “Tangping not a solution to rat race,” he argues that “Escape from challenges or submission to pressure will not only lead to individual failure, but the decline of a nation as well.”

He acknowledges the need to make housing, education, and medical services more affordable while also protecting legal rights. I would argue that a nation is already declining if the government is not adequately providing these services. The function of government, among other things, is to provide public services, economic security and economic assistance.

Of course, Wu Guangqiang opposes tangping. It is a cultural shift that stands as an anathema to everything that he has worked towards for years. The younger generation is now caught behind the older generation and is resisting older work styles. They do not see the benefits of that work ethic. Young people are not paid or respected in the same way, resulting in a passionless and directionless life. The older generation is left confused. Many of this older generation have enjoyed “iron bowl” jobs, or jobs with lifelong security, but not so for the youth.

The hyper-competitive culture of China does not push this young generation towards a life of reclusiveness. It instead moves them away from the highly competitive environment to a more relaxed and enjoyable lifestyle, where they no longer seek to consume for the sake of consumption.

Chris Edwards via email