Hi everyone. I’m Stephanie LI.
大家好，我是主持人李莹亮。
Coming up on today’s program.
重点提要
China’s shockingly low population growth in 2021 recorded a 6-decade low;
Over 120 new local infections were reported in China yesterday as Beijing cancelled public tickets to Winter Olympics.
Here’s what you need to know about China in the past 24 hours
中国经济要闻
480,000 and 0.34 per thousand.
These are two most alarming population figures released on Monday along with China’s GDP last year, suggesting a long-feared fact that a “net-zero” population growth in China is imminent and the economy will lose steam even further.
China's birth rate slowed to a record low in 2021 as the country battles with a rapidly aging population. The population increased by less than half a million in 2021. The number of newborns dropped 11.5 percent from the year before to 10.62 million, bringing the national birth rate to a record low of 7.52 births for every 1,000 people, which puts the national growth rate at 0.34 per thousand, the National Bureau of Statistics confirmed on Monday.
Official from the bureau attributed the slowing growth partly to a decline in the number of women of childbearing age. The number of women between the ages of 15 to 49 declined by 5 million in 2021, while that of women between 21 to 35 declined by 3 million.
Moreover, the total fertility rate of women of childbearing age has continued to drop in 2021, due to various factors such as people’s changing attitudes towards fertility and late marriage and childbearing.
China’s demographic challenge is well known. The figure indicated that China’s total population may have reached its peak in 2020, and the potential growth in the economy is likely slowing faster than expected.
Experts warned that a demographic turning point may be just around the corner, and suggested that policies and incentives should be implemented to support couples, especially women, to have children without worries of the future.
Local governments have introduced their own initiatives to bump up fertility. These include giving parents more days off work, or even financial support, for having a second or third child.
"China's total population will remain above 1.4 billion for a period of time to come," said Ning Jizhe, deputy head of the nation's top economic planner and head of the NBS. He added that the three-child policy is expected to gradually add births, while the national life expectancy is gradually increasing.
48万，0.34‰。
周一中国公布了2021年经济成绩单，而同时发布的人口数据却让人格外揪心：2021年我国人口增长数量跌至数十年以来的新低。
国家统计局17日公布，经初步核算，2021年我国出生人口1062万人，人口出生率为7.52‰；。这一数字低于2020年的1200万人和2019年的1465万人，而2021年末全国人口比上年末仅增长48万人，人口自然增长率为0.34‰。国家统计局局长宁吉喆表示，未来一段时期，我国人口总量将保持在14亿人以上。
国家统计局人口和就业统计司司长王萍萍解读数据表示，人口增长持续放缓是由于出生人口继续减少，主要受两方面因素影响：一是育龄妇女人数持续减少；二是生育水平继续下降。受生育观念转变、初婚初育年龄推迟等多方面的影响，2021年育龄妇女总和生育率继续下降。
由于我国死亡率整体波动不大，2008年以来一直都维持在7‰-7.5‰左右。因此，人口“零增长”很明显是由出生人口减少导致的。人口专家指出，从目前来看，尚看不到出生人口数量持续降低这一势头的减缓或消失。
0.34‰的自然增长率，意味着2022年人口“零增长”已经逼近，这比之前人口学界的预测要提前好几年。专家认为，促进人们的生育意愿，需要“从一孩开始”。应在整个社会资源的分配方面向家庭倾斜，对于有怀孕需求的女性进一步求学、返回职场等，也需要一系列促进措施。
Update on COVID-19
疫情简报
Mainland China reported 127 domestic cases on Monday, with 102 in Henan province and 18 in Tianjin. At least nine Chinese cities, including the capital Beijing, have reported locally transmitted cases of the Omicron variant since Jan. 9.
Beijing CDC said on Monday that Omicron could have entered the city via a mail sent from Canada, which had passed through the US and Hong Kong. Several cities went on high alert as the Lunar New Year Holiday travel season started on Monday, requiring travellers to report their trips before their arrival.
1月17日，内地新增本土病例127例（河南102例，其中安阳市94例、郑州市4例、许昌市4例；天津18例，其中津南区15例、西青区2例、河西区1例；广东5例，均在珠海市；北京1例，在海淀区；陕西1例，在西安市）。
据统计，自1月9日以来，内地已有6省份共9个城市发现了本土奥密克戎感染者，包括北京、上海、深圳、天津四个超大城市，也包括一个特大城市大连。而全国第一经济大省广东，有深圳、珠海、梅州和中山四地出现了感染者。随着春运于周一开启，中国多地强化了疫情监测预警，要求旅客提前报告行程，确保春运旅客安全出行。
北京市疾病预防控制中心副主任庞星火通报，病例自述近期曾收发过国际邮件，该邮件于1月7日自加拿大发出，途经美国及中国香港到达北京。结合病例流行病学史、可疑物品样本检测结果，不排除其经境外物品而感染病毒的可能。
Next on industry and company news
产经消息及公司新闻
Tickets for the Winter Olympics set to begin on February will be distributed to "targeted" groups of people and will not be sold to the public, the organising committee said on Monday, in the latest setback to the Games inflicted by Covid-19.
冬奥会宣布不公开售票：17日消息，鉴于疫情防控形势严峻，北京冬奥会决定将原计划公开销售门票的方式调整为定向组织观众现场观赛，需要观众在观赛前、观赛中、观赛后严格遵守疫情防控相关要求，以在疫情防控安全的前提下保证赛事顺利举行。
China announced to have almost completed its corporate system reform. As of the end of 2021, 97.7 percent of central SOEs and 99.9 percent of regional SOEs completed the corporate system reform, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) said Monday.
国企改革迎来收官战：17日，国务院国资委副主任翁杰明表示，截止2021年底，97.7%的央企和99.9%的地方国有企业完成了公司制改革，实现了国企改革历史性突破。
Evergrande delivered 37,899 new homes to the buyers in December with plans to settle 30,000 more homes in January, the group said on Monday. The embattled developer said 93 percent of the projects nationwide have resumed construction, with one of its new projects in Hainan province selling out within five seconds.
恒大复工率超九成：17日，恒大集团称，截至12月底恒大全国复工率92.9%，2021年12月完成交楼37899套；2022年集团计划交楼3万套。恒大表示，近日海口“恒大美丽沙”加推新货，开盘5秒便全线售罄。
Macau casino stocks recorded a slight retreat today after surging yesterday that saw Sands China, Wynn Macau and MGM China posting double-digit gains. Macau proposed new legislation for the gaming industry last Friday that will give licenses for 10 years, with the possibility to extend them by another three.
澳门博彩股回吐：14日，中国澳门行政会完成博彩法修订草案，经营娱乐场幸运博彩的批给数量最多为6个，期限不多于十年，可延长最多三年。周一，澳门六大持牌博彩公司的股价纷纷走高，周二有所回吐。
Japanese tech giant Canon’s Zhuhai factory released a severance compensation package on Tuesday, after it announced to close production lines in the 32-year-old factory which mainly produce digital cameras. Staff will receive a package that comprised of five parts.
“32岁”佳能珠海停产：佳能珠海有限公司近日决定终止公司生产，员工补偿方案目前已经确定。佳能珠海公告显示，补偿金分为五部分：经济补偿金(N+1)、特别慰劳金、就业支援金、感怀铭记奖金以及春节慰问金。
Switching gears to the financial sector
金融市场要闻
China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) Chairman Yi Huiman called for speedy implementation of policies governing overseas share sales by domestic companies and vowed to support listings of qualified companies in an orderly manner.
证监委支持国内企业海外上市：中国证监委于17日发布的报告中总结了2021年各项工作，并概括了2022年的重要事务，并呼吁加快实施国内企业境外上市的管理政策，支持符合条件的企业有序上市。
Data from mobile app stores showed that downloads of China’s digital yuan wallet app had reached over 20 million as of Monday, following its debut two weeks ago, marking the first time that the central bank-backed sovereign digital currency will be available for international users ahead of the Winter Olympics.
数字人民币app下载量激增：华为、小米等多个手机app商城数据显示，数字人民币(试点版)app推出两周后，下载量已超2000万次。据悉，冬奥会期间，境内外消费者可自主选择使用数字人民币App，可设置支付密码、充值、查询余额与交易明细等。
Wrapping up with a quick look at the stock market
最后来看股市收盘情况
Chinese stocks finished higher on Tuesday with stocks of baijiu and banks leading the gains. The Shanghai Composite gained 0.8 percent and the Shenzhen Component rose 0.19 percent. The Hang Seng Index continued to fall 0.43 percent.
周二A股继续上扬，沪指收涨0.8%，深成指涨0.8%。银行、白酒等权重板块走强，大基建板块表现强劲。港股恒生指数收跌0.43%，科技指数跌0.45%。
Biz Word of the Day
财经词汇划重点
The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime.
总和生育率，也称总生育率，是指该国家或地区的妇女在育龄期间，每个妇女平均的生育子女数。
（欢迎大家提供意见和反馈，请联系主播李莹亮：liyl@21jingji.com）
Executive Editor: Sonia YU
Editor: LI Yanxia
Host: Stephanie LI
Writer: Stephanie LI, ZHANG Ran, WEN Sixian
Producer: XIANG Xiufang
Sound Editor: WEN Sixian, ZHANG Ran, Andy YUAN
Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Wanni
Co-produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News & SFC Audio/Video Dept.
Presented by SFC
编委: 于晓娜
策划、编辑：李艳霞
播音：李莹亮
撰稿：李莹亮、张然、温思娴
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