The official WeChat account of Renmin University of China’s Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies published an article titled “【Speech Interaction】When this high-ranking official said he had 6 children, everyone present laughed knowingly.”
The reason this daily account, which usually has only a few hundred reads, gained attention is entirely due to the eloquence of Wang Xianju, a renowned expert on Russian and Central Asian issues and former deputy director of the Eurasian Social Development Research Institute at the Development Research Center of the State Council of China.
As the chief reporter in Moscow for many years for Guangming Daily and China Youth Daily, Wang posed a very insightful question to Mr. Karlin on-site: “In our country, women are unwilling to marry and do not want children. Whether it’s parents or leaders, you can mobilize and persuade them, but they don’t listen. So, I’m curious, how does Kazakhstan achieve this? In terms of policies, measures, and preferential treatments, I even heard that female university graduates have children right after graduation, one after another. How can they trust you so much, obediently having children?”
The brilliance of this question lies in its 100% reflection of the current leaders' basic views on China's fertility issues—declining birth rates are not due to the pressure of living, inadequate social welfare, or poor future expectations; rather, it’s because “they are not proactive about having children, and there’s a problem with their mindset,” they are disobedient. Especially among female university students, there is a tendency that confirms the great man's saying that “the more knowledge, the more reactionary.” Those girls who haven’t graduated from middle school are the most obedient, staying in the mountains for a lifetime, having as many children as they can.
In response to this very “Soviet-style thinking” question, Yerlan Karlin explained to the narrow-minded Wang how a Central Asian country, whose economy is far inferior to China’s, alleviates some of the anxiety around childbirth for its citizens. Kazakhstan is promoting a social insurance scheme where, upon the birth of a child, the government invests a one-time amount of $500, and parents contribute $1,000, enjoying an annual interest of 7%, which can be withdrawn when the child turns 18. Mr. Karlin stated that this investment can cover the costs of higher education for the child. Additionally, “we have a national fund, which is our energy revenue, including oil and gas income. The income from oil extraction is included in this national fund, and now every newborn must have an account, which will receive dividends from this national fund.”
In a country with such a high birth rate (3.5 times that of China) and such a weak economy (with a GDP of over $260 billion, less than that of Xinjiang and Guizhou), they are still willing to invest real money to enhance welfare. Meanwhile, we are still here squeezing toothpaste, trying to change concepts through brainwashing to achieve the goal of increasing births, which is both frustrating and amusing. After Wang's remarks “exploded,” Renmin University, as a top news communication institution in China, quickly “recognized” its mistake and began deleting posts across the internet, attempting to calm the situation. However, in a lapse, they even forgot to delete their own Sina account, not to mention the wild screenshots flying all over the internet. Such crude professional methods inevitably raise questions about their academic standards.
Finally, I offer a suggestion to Wang: it could completely take on a “great country characteristic.” For example, adding a childbirth option to college entrance examination choices, where girls unwilling to have children do not deserve the opportunity for higher education. Female university students wanting to graduate must have a child first; those wishing to pursue a master's degree must have 2; those aiming for a doctorate must have 3. Having children could earn credits, and not marrying teachers or supervisors would still earn them extra points for having children.