Xi Jinping under fire as China economic crisis forces Beijing to plot controversial move
Xi Jinping's officials have floated the prospect of hiking the pension age in a bid to cope with the rapidly ageing population.
Xi Jinping has faced a furious backlash from the Chinese public after his government tabled plans for a widespread pension age reform.
China has one of the lowest retirement ages in the world, with men in urban areas allowed to quit the workforce at the age of 60 and women at either 50 or 55.
The plan is aimed at helping Beijing cope with a considerable pension funding crisis as well as the wider issues of a rapidly ageing population.
Announcing the plans over the weekend, the ruling Chinese Communist Party said: "In accordance with the principles of voluntariness and flexibility, [we] will steadily and orderly advance the reform of progressively delaying the statutory retirement age."
But the move quickly sparked a furious reaction across social media, with older Chinese workers raging at the prospect of a delay in accessing their pension funds.
Younger generations also highlighted they would have fewer employment opportunities if older Chinese labourers were required to stay on the job for longer.
The tag "advancing the reform of delaying retirement age" began trending on the social media platform Weibo shortly after the plan was unveiled.
One of the most-liked comments read: "Please be aware: delaying retirement age only means you can’t receive a pension until very late. It doesn’t guarantee you would still have a job before that!”
Another user noted: "Young people have a hard time finding jobs, but elderly people are not allowed to retire. What are you doing? How can [you] dare to encourage people to have three children?”
One user on the Xiaohongshu social media platform said: "Delaying retirement age on a ‘voluntary basis’? Just like the elder generation was ‘voluntarily’ forced to have only one child or laid off from state enterprises?”
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Beijing has been grappling with widespread youth unemployment since Xi lifted his strict coronavirus pandemic restrictions.
Persistent economic issues have also pushed employers to hold back on hiring new staff as the Chinese economy slows down.
China has also faced growing issues with its birth rate, as the population shrunk over the past two years.
Last year, India surpassed Beijing as the most populous country in the world as the PRC recorded its lowest birth rate since its creation in 1949.
