'Quality matters': China takes jibe at India over increasing population

China took a sharp dig at India after a United Nations (UN) report predicted India would overtake China as the world's most populous country by mid-2023. When asked about the same at a press conference on Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said, "While assessing a country's demographic dividend, it is also important to look at not just its size but also quality."

According to ANI, in response to media questions about India overtaking China, Wenbin stated that what matters most is the country's talent resources. "Nearly 900 million of the 1.4 billion Chinese are of working age and on average have received 10.9 years of education," he added. He noted that Beijing had implemented a national strategy to respond to population aging.

The UN released its "The State of World Population Report," 2023 on Wednesday, which estimated that India's population would be 1,428.6 million, while China's would stand at 1,425.7 million by mid-year. This means India is on the cusp of adding 2.9 million more people to its tally. Furthermore, both countries will account for more than one-third of the estimated global population of 8.045 billion.