A top economist has joined the growing list of China’s elite to have disappeared from public life after criticizing Xi Jinping, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Zhu Hengpeng served as deputy director of the Institute of Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) for around a decade.

CASS is a state research think tank that reports directly to China’s cabinet. Chen Daoyin, a former associate professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, described it as a “body to formulate party ideology to support the leadership.”

According to the Journal, the 55-year-old disappeared shortly after remarking on China’s sluggish economy and criticizing Xi’s leadership in a private group on WeChat.

  • @[email protected]
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    9 hours ago

    If you think the Chinese economy is bad now, wait 15 years. No amount of sending economists to the gulag will hide this disaster.

    Edit: tankie downvotes are like nectar of the gods to me. Your precious CCP will wither like a plant in the desert.

      • @UnderpantsWeevil
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        53 minutes ago

        92 upvotes would suggest a lot of people.

        But everything you could say about China rings just as true in Europe, in Japan and Korea, in India, in Russia…

        Global populations are heading for a heavy sag, but westerners only know how to heckle the Evil Foreigners.

        • @[email protected]
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          122 minutes ago

          Funny because I’m European, and the GDP per capita levels of most EU countries are at 2008 levels.

          As for a population pyramid, China will face the same problem as other countries as you say, possibly more magnified.

          • @UnderpantsWeevil
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            112 minutes ago

            EU countries are filling up with war and climate refugees. And… 2008 is one hell of a year to pick as your benchmark.

    • @[email protected]
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      5 hours ago

      I’ve already been banned from Hexbear. Bunch of assclowns over there.

      Edit: and now lemmygrad

        • @Shard
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          42 hours ago

          Arbitrary bans from overly sensitive mods? Straight to Jail.

          Made a comment about tankies in lemmy getting mad over some news about China getting hit with influence ops by the US. Believe it or not, ban.

          • @[email protected]
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            32 hours ago

            It’s okay man, it takes me a few seconds to scroll through all my bans. It’s funny because all these pro China dweebs are living in the USA. Can’t even commit to the bit and just sit there all day posting anti USA or western stuff. They are obnoxious.

            • @barsquid
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              259 minutes ago

              They are privileged children sheltered from reality by mommy and daddy’s money.

          • @barsquid
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            244 minutes ago

            That’s easy mode, since Rule 2 is basically “don’t write a fact about China.”

          • @UnderpantsWeevil
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            150 minutes ago

            “Everyone keeps banning me, I’m surrounded by assholes”

            Hmm…

      • OBJECTION!
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        -84 hours ago

        Why do you think Israel needs a fucking iron dome? Bunch of virgin clowns in here.

        This you?

        • HobbitFoot
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          319 hours ago

          Even then, it isn’t healthy, just healthier. The USA is still going to going to experience economic issues of a growing elderly population, it just won’t be as bad.

          • @Shard
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            2 hours ago

            This is the new normal for highly developed economies. The best they can hope for is a 1 to 1 replacement of their population. We’re not likely to see another baby boom occur.

            We’re not going to see a typical population pyramid any more. Because that means a large infant death rate and either war, disasters or a massive suicide epidemic cutting away the young adult population to get the pyramid shape.

            • @[email protected]
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              31 hour ago

              Given that the amount of habitable land will decrease causing mass migrations, you don’t need a 1 to 1 ratio to maintain a population size.

          • @[email protected]
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            288 hours ago

            The US have the benefit of essentially limitless immigration that they can adjust at will. On the other hand, China’s leadership, being Han supremacist, is not receptive to immigration at all.

            • HobbitFoot
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              46 hours ago

              Immigration definitely helps, especially compared to China. I’m just noting that there will still be some decrease in the ratio of retired workers to current workers.

            • @[email protected]
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              17 hours ago

              Have you… have you seen how Americans have been talking about the border? Especially this election cycle? I don’t know if would characterize either party’s constituencies as “receptive”.

              • @SlopppyEngineer
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                75 hours ago

                It’s all talk. Corpos crave dirt cheap desperate immigrant workers and will make sure neither party messes this up.

                  • @NOT_RICK
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                    76 hours ago

                    The US has the highest volume of immigrants in the world, 50x more than China. With or without a reduction of new immigrants that number will remain high.

              • @Zorque
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                107 hours ago

                You realize there’s more to immigration than the border between Mexico and the US, right?

                I know they ignore it, but you don’t have to follow along with them.

                • @NOT_RICK
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                  56 hours ago

                  50 million immigrants in the US, and that data is 5 years old. Germany comes in second with 13 million. It’s not even close. I don’t see how a demographic crisis could happen, even if they hypothetically cut immigration in half

            • @UnderpantsWeevil
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              44 minutes ago

              The US have the benefit of essentially limitless immigration

              glances at US immigration policy

              Does it?

              China’s leadership, being Han supremacist, is not receptive to immigration at all.

              Wit drier than a lint trap.

          • @UnderpantsWeevil
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            148 minutes ago

            it just won’t be as bad.

            glances at Ferguson

            glances at Columbia

            glances at the NYC subway

            How bad are we talking?

            • @NOT_RICK
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              125 minutes ago

              I don’t see how any of that relates to a potential demographic crisis

          • @[email protected]
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            169 hours ago

            Basically, yes. The sides are nearly parallel, which is great. Compare with China’s, which forms a steep V. Once GenX hits retirement age they are completely screwed. The CCP’s recent push for “traditional family values” and increased birth rates is no coincidence.

      • @Eheran
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        99 hours ago

        The birthing rates are only dropping, in 15 years all of those people will be to old to work but there are not nearly enough to replace them.

      • @Valmond
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        56 hours ago

        The glorious economy is always in the shitter it seems.

        • @SlopppyEngineer
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          24 hours ago

          What gives workers even less time to be consumers, making China even more dependant on overseas markets.

          • @takeda
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            8 hours ago

            996 = working from 9am to 9pm, 6 days a week, work schedule practiced currently in many companies in China

            7-10-7 = I’m guessing 7am to 10pm, 7 days a week because of worker shortage?

            • @UnderpantsWeevil
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              140 minutes ago

              Old enough to remember people talking about a 4 day work week and complaining about how many bullshit jobs our economy is swamped with.

              But I guess we actually do have a sever labor shortage and all that surplus manufacturing jettisoned out into the global market simply isn’t enough.