Countries all over the world are seeing birth and fertility rates fall, but China remains an outlier as having one of the lowest on the planet. Its 2025 projected fertility rate, the average number of children born per woman, is 1.02, according to the U.N. Population Division, lower than the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa.

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.