Government data on Monday showed that the country's birth rate fell to 5.63 per 1,000 people – a record low since the Communist Party took power in 1949 – while its death rate rose to 8.04 per 1,000 people, the highest since 1968.

Last week, China reported the world's largest-ever trade surplus last week - the value of goods and services sold overseas compared to its imports - of $1.19tn (£890bn), driven by a rise in exports to markets outside the US.