[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.16,0:00:05.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,China is crashing towards a childless \Nsociety, while, surprise surprise,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.36,0:00:11.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Chinese government is finding ways to make the \Nsituation even more dystopian than it already is.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.96,0:00:14.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Welcome to China Uncensored. I’m Chris Chappell.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.16,0:00:16.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, it’s time to take a break from \Nfighting YouTube censorship.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.82,0:00:18.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,..so we can fight Apple’s censorship.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.100,0:00:20.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I’m not \Nkidding. For the last few months,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.40,0:00:23.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we’ve been building you an \Nexclusive China Uncensored app.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.68,0:00:27.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Or at least, we designed it, programmed \Nit, and submitted it to Apple for review.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.92,0:00:32.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They typically approve or reject an \Napp within 48 hours, a week at most.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.32,0:00:36.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We submitted our app for review more than a \Nmonth ago, on January 24.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.76,0:00:39.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After two weeks, we hadn’t gotten a response,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.88,0:00:42.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so \Nwe applied to expedite Apple’s processing.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:42.87,0:00:47.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Still no response. Weird. So \Nwe pulled that version and resubmitted it,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.72,0:00:51.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hoping it would land with a new reviewer.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.12,0:00:55.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Still, \Nno response. Now it’s been more than a month.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.04,0:00:59.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,No one from Apple has contacted us, and they \Nwon’t approve or even reject our app—
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.52,0:01:05.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which they probably won’t do, because they have no \Nlegitimate {\i1}cause{\i0} to reject our app.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:05.08,0:01:07.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We tried everything we could.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.06,0:01:09.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And \Nnow we’re concerned that Apple is actually {\i1}censoring{\i0} us
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.84,0:01:12.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,. But they \Ndon’t want to explicitly say so,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.28,0:01:16.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so they’re ghosting us. An Apple \Na day is keeping {\i1}us{\i0} away.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.72,0:01:21.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You might ask, But Chris, aren’t \Nyou being paranoid? Maybe.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.52,0:01:24.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Except Apple has censored China Uncensored before.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.76,0:01:28.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Back in 2017, we built an app for Apple TV.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.08,0:01:33.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Apple approved it, but then immediately \Nblocked it in mainland China, Hong Kong,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.36,0:01:36.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and {\i1}Taiwan{\i0}. Their excuse?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.15,0:01:38.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“Apps must comply with all
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.28,0:01:42.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,legal requirements in any location \Nwhere you make them available”.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.44,0:01:46.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, our app {\i1}did{\i0} comply with \Nthe laws in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.16,0:01:50.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it took 10,000 of you signing \Nthis online petition to Apple to
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.56,0:01:52.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,pressure them to uncensor us.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:52.38,0:01:56.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which was kind of \Nimportant since Uncensored is our whole thing.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.96,0:01:58.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So here’s what I want you to do now.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.50,0:02:00.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Sign our new petition calling on Apple
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.96,0:02:06.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to NOT CENSOR the China Uncensored \NApp! The link is in the description.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.27,0:02:06.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But hey, maybe it’s all just a big \Nmisunderstanding or just a simple
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.34,0:02:06.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,technical delay. That would be great. In \Nwhich case, the petition is just expressing
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.43,0:02:06.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,your enthusiastic support for the coming China \NUncensored iOS app. So thank you for signing.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:06.52,0:02:08.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now back to the episode.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.52,0:02:11.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Chinese leader Xi Jinping is great with kids.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.80,0:02:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He gives them important lessons,\N
Dialogue: 0,0:02:14.00,0:02:16.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He shows them how to use a bucket safely,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.80,0:02:20.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he even tackles them, just for a bit of fun.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.84,0:02:27.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Plus he sometimes sends them and their \Nfamilies off to camps for free. What fun!
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.84,0:02:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, Xi’s many interactions with
Dialogue: 0,0:02:30.00,0:02:35.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Chinese children have landed him the \Nnickname “Grandpa Xi” in Chinese state media.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.23,0:02:36.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that’s the only nickname he \Nhas.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.92,0:02:39.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The rest definitely aren’t censored.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:39.96,0:02:44.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And Grandpa Xi and his government \Nare so stoked about children that
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.12,0:02:47.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they want Chinese people to have more of them.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:47.40,0:02:50.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To achieve that, in recent years, \Nthe Chinese authorities have rolled out
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.53,0:02:55.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all sorts of incentives to try \Nto encourage Chinese baby-making,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:55.36,0:02:58.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from subsidies and tax breaks for families
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.20,0:03:02.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to free fertility treatments \Nfor couples trying to conceive.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.44,0:03:06.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Some local officials might have gone to the \Ntask with a bit too much enthusiasm, though,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:06.44,0:03:09.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like those calling women to ask \Nwhether they are pregnant, and,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.08,0:03:11.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if not, when they’re planning to be.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.84,0:03:14.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which shouldn’t be a surprise. \NGiven how the CCP treats Taiwan,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.48,0:03:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you can tell they don’t respect boundaries.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.00,0:03:19.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Yet, despite all the various \Nattempts, it’s not working.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.72,0:03:22.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,China’s birth rate is declining fast,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.36,0:03:27.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,resulting in the national population \Nfalling three years in a row now,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.08,0:03:32.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it has set the stage for \NChina to become a severely aging society by 2035.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.81,0:03:35.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that’s coming \Nfrom my favorite Chinese state-run media,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.56,0:03:38.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Global Times, and the CCP health authority,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.42,0:03:41.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so the situation might be even worse!
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.56,0:03:47.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hm, maybe if women get calls by even \Nmore strangers from the government
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.28,0:03:50.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,asking probing questions, that’ll \Nput them in a baby-making mood.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.98,0:03:53.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The situation even appears to be accelerating,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.70,0:03:56.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as it came out recently that Chinese marriage rates
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.18,0:03:59.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,took a record-setting plunge in 2024 –
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.20,0:04:03.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,dropping by about a fifth compared to 2023.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:03.48,0:04:06.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That was an even deeper drop than during COVID,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.64,0:04:12.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leaving marriage numbers at their lowest \Nsince record-keeping began in 1986.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:12.28,0:04:15.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And with family life in China centered around \Nthe institution of marriage,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:15.84,0:04:18.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,no weddings means no babies.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.72,0:04:21.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But as Chinese society races towards zero births,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.88,0:04:25.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it’s not just the prospect of an \Naging society that’s raising alarms.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.36,0:04:29.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, China is heading for a geographic \Nand ethnic sea change
Dialogue: 0,0:04:29.51,0:04:33.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the likes of which Grandpa Xi and his government have never \Nseen.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.28,0:04:36.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And really really don’t want to see.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.84,0:04:41.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You see, if there’s one thing Xi likes almost as much as growing the Chinese family,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.12,0:04:43.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it’s growing the Chinese countryside.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.56,0:04:48.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Literally. Here he is inspecting a vegetable \Nfield in Hubei Province in late 2024 and
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.80,0:04:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,telling farmers how to do stuff.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.80,0:04:55.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Man, he just \Nloves telling people how to spread their seed.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.28,0:04:57.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But they love him for it in the rural areas,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:57.86,0:05:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as this very natural clapping scene suggests.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:02.00,0:05:05.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Such trips to the provinces are \Npart of Xi’s push to breathe new
Dialogue: 0,0:05:05.04,0:05:08.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,life into the Chinese countryside \N– a central mission of his.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.88,0:05:10.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Chinese development in the cities,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.80,0:05:14.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,especially on the country’s east coast, \Nhas long outpaced the development
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.52,0:05:20.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the countryside, creating one of the \Nlargest rural-urban income gaps in the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.68,0:05:26.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At the same time, large parts of rural China are \Nplagued by issues such as soil degradation
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.80,0:05:29.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and deindustrialization.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.12,0:05:34.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Do, uh… you have any helpful advice \Nfor that, Grandpa Xi? Any at all?
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.44,0:05:39.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the declining birthrate is now putting \NXi’s rural development plans under threat.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.48,0:05:43.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It actually used to be that higher birth \Nnumbers in rural China compensated for
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.56,0:05:47.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the lower birth rates in the Chinese \Ncities, but that is no longer the case.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:47.28,0:05:49.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Today, births among young people in rural areas
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.92,0:05:53.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are dropping more rapidly than \Namong their urban counterparts.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:53.96,0:05:58.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,On top of that, Chinese people continue to \Nmigrate from the countryside to the cities,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:58.84,0:06:03.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,contributing to some rural areas \Nbecoming severely depopulated –
Dialogue: 0,0:06:03.40,0:06:08.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a phenomenon referred to in China as \N“hollowed out” towns and villages.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.16,0:06:12.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it’s especially bad in some \Nof the regions bordering China’s neighboring countries
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.67,0:06:17.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,. These towns are \Nmore hollow than one of the CCP’s promises.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.80,0:06:21.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not far from the Chinese border \Nwith Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:21.16,0:06:23.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is formed by the two \Nsouthern provinces of Yunnan
Dialogue: 0,0:06:23.76,0:06:25.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Guangxi,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:25.20,0:06:29.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,there have been accounts of border towns \Nand villages turning into ghost towns
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.60,0:06:33.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after locals either died out or abandoned them \Nfor better living elsewhere.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.86,0:06:38.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which is bleak, but at least not as bleak as back \Nwhen places became ghost towns
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.20,0:06:40.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because all the locals starved \Nto death.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:40.20,0:06:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ain’t communism grand?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.00,0:06:46.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the north, along the Chinese \Nborder with Mongolia and Russia,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.60,0:06:49.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the situation is even more dire.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.24,0:06:52.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There, the population of the \Nregion of Inner Mongolia fell
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.60,0:06:59.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from almost 25 million people in \N2010 to just 24 million in 2022,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.64,0:07:04.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the province of Heilongjiang \Nwent from more than 38 million people in 2010
Dialogue: 0,0:07:04.03,0:07:07.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to less than 32 million in 2020.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.72,0:07:11.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These declines have raised deep \Nconcerns among the Chinese authorities,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.60,0:07:14.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with one government adviser \Nsaying in November that
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.04,0:07:18.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“to bolster national security amid \Na countrywide demographic slide,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:18.40,0:07:24.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,China should turn its eyes to the declining \Npopulations of its towns bordering Central Asia”,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:24.16,0:07:28.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while the ever glorious Global \NTimes said last year that Inner Mongolia
Dialogue: 0,0:07:28.22,0:07:33.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is the "northern gateway" and \Nthe "moat" of the capital city Beijing
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.04,0:07:36.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that shoulders a major political \Nresponsibility
Dialogue: 0,0:07:36.18,0:07:40.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in safeguarding national security and border stability.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:40.04,0:07:44.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Global Times also reported that the \Nleader of Inner Mongolia had vowed to
Dialogue: 0,0:07:44.12,0:07:49.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,implement “comprehensive measures to attract \Nmore people to settle and live in border areas,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.76,0:07:55.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and ensure human shields- I mean \Nnational unity and border security”.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:55.28,0:07:59.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While the population decline is \Nimmense, it isn’t exactly clear, though,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:59.05,0:08:02.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what sort of immediate national \Nsecurity threats could emerge from it.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:02.40,0:08:07.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After all, it’s rare to see Mongolian hordes \Ncome riding down from the north these days,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:07.28,0:08:11.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and that’s what the Great Wall proudly \Nrises to protect against, anyway.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:11.60,0:08:16.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,However, the Chinese Communist Party is \Nnotoriously obsessed with appearing strong,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:16.56,0:08:23.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and having large stretches of the northern regions \Nlooking like this doesn’t exactly signal strength.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:23.12,0:08:26.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Certainly not like Grandpa Xi’s super tough rough \Nhousing.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:26.55,0:08:29.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What a tough guy! And an awesome grandpa!
Dialogue: 0,0:08:29.92,0:08:33.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,China does have some real \Nreasons to want to appear strong.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:33.88,0:08:35.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, in the late 19th century,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:35.80,0:08:38.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when \NChina also looked weak on its northern front,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:38.68,0:08:44.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Russia seized the opportunity to \Nannex vast areas of Chinese territory.
Dialogue: 0,0:08:44.36,0:08:47.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Given the state of the China-Russia \Nrelationship in the 21st century,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:47.56,0:08:51.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it seems unlikely that the Russians \Nwould make a similar move again,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:51.24,0:08:54.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but then, few thought that Putin would \Nbe crazy enough to invade Ukraine,
Dialogue: 0,0:08:54.80,0:08:59.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so, who knows. His promises are also \Njust as hollow as those ghost towns.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:00.32,0:09:02.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In China’s southern borderlands,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:02.12,0:09:05.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,though, the potential effects of \Ndepopulation are much more immediate.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:05.56,0:09:10.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In the south, the Chinese government has \Nlong struggled to assert and maintain control
Dialogue: 0,0:09:10.29,0:09:14.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,, especially along the nearly \N1,400-mile-long border with Myanmar.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:14.84,0:09:18.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Not only is the cross-border area a patchwork \Nof ethnic minorities,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:18.62,0:09:21.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the dense jungle and mountainous terrain
Dialogue: 0,0:09:21.68,0:09:26.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,also make large stretches \Nof the region difficult to traverse and monitor.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:26.64,0:09:30.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This makes the region a hotbed for illicit trade \Nand smuggling –
Dialogue: 0,0:09:30.15,0:09:32.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including {\i1}people{\i0} smuggling,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:32.64,0:09:38.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in which crime syndicates based in Myanmar have \Nlured Chinese people into the war-torn country,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:38.72,0:09:44.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where tens of thousands are currently \Nenslaved and forced to work as cyber scammers.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:44.84,0:09:47.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, this explains why people \Nmight want to leave the area,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:47.60,0:09:50.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but when locals begin rapidly disappearing,
Dialogue: 0,0:09:50.10,0:09:52.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,either into Chinese cities or into Myanmar
Dialogue: 0,0:09:52.76,0:09:57.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scam centers, there’s not much left in \Nthe towns to maintain a strong border.
Dialogue: 0,0:09:57.72,0:10:03.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But not to worry – Xi has an excellent way \Nto solve all of China’s rural problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:03.20,0:10:09.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He has called for Chinese youths to make \Ngreater contributions to rural revitalization.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:09.72,0:10:13.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This sentiment was mirrored by an action plan \Nannounced in 2023
Dialogue: 0,0:10:13.41,0:10:15.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by the local government in Guangdong Province
Dialogue: 0,0:10:15.87,0:10:21.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that aims to send 300,000 \Ncollege students to the countryside by this year
Dialogue: 0,0:10:21.75,0:10:26.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,. Which I’m sure is just what they \Nwere hoping to gain from going to college.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:26.56,0:10:30.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This plan would have the added bonus of getting \Nunemployed youth out of the cities,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:30.99,0:10:33.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where they might stir up trouble and unrest
Dialogue: 0,0:10:33.72,0:10:38.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and start getting \Ncrazy ideas about autonomy and freedom of speech.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:38.20,0:10:43.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The whole thing is also a fun throwback to the \NCultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s,
Dialogue: 0,0:10:43.81,0:10:50.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when millions of Chinese young people were sent to \Nthe countryside to educate and be educated.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:50.13,0:10:51.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh, and a whole bunch of people \Nwere killed.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:51.93,0:10:53.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know… fun!
Dialogue: 0,0:10:53.56,0:10:59.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Xi himself has often spoken fondly about the time \Nhe himself spent in a rural village back then.
Dialogue: 0,0:10:59.84,0:11:01.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Those were indeed splendid days,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:01.80,0:11:05.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with Chinese youths gathering to exercise \Nwith hammers
Dialogue: 0,0:11:05.45,0:11:07.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on Chinese cultural treasures
Dialogue: 0,0:11:07.36,0:11:13.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and making oversized necklaces for \Ntheir friends and loved ones… fun!
Dialogue: 0,0:11:13.84,0:11:16.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it’s not just decline and depopulation that
Dialogue: 0,0:11:16.52,0:11:19.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seem to be spurring desperate moves by the \NChinese authorities.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:19.55,0:11:22.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s the demographic shifts that come with it.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:22.72,0:11:25.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I’m not \Njust talking about an aging society.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:25.76,0:11:30.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because, while Han Chinese are experiencing \Nmassively declining birth rates,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:30.36,0:11:34.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it’s a different matter for the more than 125 million people
Dialogue: 0,0:11:34.13,0:11:37.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that make up China’s 55 ethnic minority groups.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:37.76,0:11:40.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Regions such as Inner Mongolia,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:40.16,0:11:41.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Gansu Province,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:41.44,0:11:43.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and Guizhou Province…
Dialogue: 0,0:11:43.24,0:11:48.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,have all experienced population decline \Nin recent years among Han Chinese,
Dialogue: 0,0:11:48.24,0:11:51.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but this was partly counterbalanced by \Nhigher birth rates
Dialogue: 0,0:11:51.35,0:11:53.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,among minority groups.
Dialogue: 0,0:11:53.52,0:11:57.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Across China, 13 percent of all newborns \Nhad minority background in 2000
Dialogue: 0,0:11:57.94,0:12:00.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,, and their population as a whole was estimated
Dialogue: 0,0:12:00.69,0:12:05.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make up \Nalmost 9 percent of the total population by 2020,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:05.88,0:12:08.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is quite a change from the 1960s,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:08.55,0:12:11.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,when they made up less than 6 percent.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:11.88,0:12:14.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Of course, Xi is super happy \Nwith all minority groups,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:14.84,0:12:22.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and even sends some of them and their families \Noff to camps for free to thank them… fun!
Dialogue: 0,0:12:22.48,0:12:24.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, we do have to be a bit careful with \Nthese numbers.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:24.82,0:12:26.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After all, they’re all based
Dialogue: 0,0:12:26.36,0:12:31.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on official Chinese figures, which, according \Nto researchers, aren’t always the most reliable,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:31.72,0:12:33.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,due to low quality data collection
Dialogue: 0,0:12:33.84,0:12:36.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,, incentives \Nfor local governments to either inflate or deflate
Dialogue: 0,0:12:36.80,0:12:42.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,certain population numbers, and the sensitivity \Nof the issue for the Chinese leadership.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:42.08,0:12:46.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This means that the actual minority population \Nof China and its growth could be higher
Dialogue: 0,0:12:46.57,0:12:48.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,than what the official data shows,
Dialogue: 0,0:12:48.32,0:12:51.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which sounds like \Na good thing, given that many minority groups
Dialogue: 0,0:12:51.52,0:12:55.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,live in the border regions where Chinese \Nofficials are fussing about depopulation.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:55.62,0:12:59.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the Chinese authorities don’t \Nseem to be rejoicing about it.
Dialogue: 0,0:12:59.28,0:13:02.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, one of China’s fastest growing \Nminority groups,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:02.45,0:13:04.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Turkic-speaking Uyghurs,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:04.12,0:13:09.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,saw their birth rate almost cut \Nin half between 2017 and 2019,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:09.28,0:13:12.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,according to the government’s own numbers.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:12.04,0:13:17.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That sudden drop coincided with an \Nintensified crackdown on the Uyghur people,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:17.52,0:13:23.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with mounting evidence indicating that many Uyghur \Nwomen have been coerced into taking birth control
Dialogue: 0,0:13:23.36,0:13:26.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and subjected to forced sterilization.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:26.75,0:13:29.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which — and I’m no scientist or anything
Dialogue: 0,0:13:29.48,0:13:34.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,— doesn’t sound like it’ll help \Nin the whole baby-making whatchamacallit.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:34.36,0:13:37.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Although few have experienced the same \Ndraconian measures as the Uyghurs,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:37.96,0:13:40.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,other Chinese minorities have been targeted, too,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:40.52,0:13:44.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,including the Mongolians, who have \Nhad their language banned in schools,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:44.84,0:13:48.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as well as the Tibetans, whose \Nchildren are increasingly getting
Dialogue: 0,0:13:48.32,0:13:51.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sent to Mandarin-dominated boarding schools,
Dialogue: 0,0:13:51.60,0:13:54.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,while Tibetan educators are disappearing.
Dialogue: 0,0:13:54.84,0:13:58.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And measures that weaken children’s ties to \Ntheir parents’ culture
Dialogue: 0,0:13:58.20,0:14:03.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,don’t sound like a strategy you use if you want people to have more \Nkids
Dialogue: 0,0:14:03.09,0:14:06.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It’s become more difficult for us to know \Nthe effect of such policies,
Dialogue: 0,0:14:06.48,0:14:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,however, as the authorities have stopped publishing statistics \Non the birth rates of separate non-Han groups.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:12.00,0:14:14.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For…some reason.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:14.32,0:14:19.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there are clearly a lot of signs that the \NChinese leadership are looking to restrict minorities
Dialogue: 0,0:14:19.88,0:14:25.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,rather than tap into China’s ethnic \Nmosaic to alleviate the depopulation issue.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:25.64,0:14:30.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That’s not really a shock, as Xi is less the \Nposter boy for minority empowerment
Dialogue: 0,0:14:30.39,0:14:36.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and more the kind of guy that stresses Chinese \Nuniformity under the rule of the CCP.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:36.40,0:14:40.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But such posturing risks dealing a \Nheavy blow to China’s national birth rate
Dialogue: 0,0:14:40.82,0:14:43.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at a time when it’s already in free fall.
Dialogue: 0,0:14:43.60,0:14:47.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And with the current generation of young \NChinese people being small already as a
Dialogue: 0,0:14:47.44,0:14:51.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,consequence of the one-child policy, \Nit’s unlikely that there are enough
Dialogue: 0,0:14:51.72,0:14:56.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,unemployed youths in the cities to \Nrevitalize the countryside and plug
Dialogue: 0,0:14:56.84,0:15:00.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all the expanding population \Ngaps in the border regions –
Dialogue: 0,0:15:00.56,0:15:03.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,unless robot college graduates count.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:03.64,0:15:07.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, despite the Chinese government’s \Ndesperate attempts to lift the birthrate,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:07.64,0:15:11.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the leadership seems to be willing \Nto sacrifice population growth
Dialogue: 0,0:15:11.64,0:15:15.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the altar of ethnic dominance for the Han Chinese.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:15.48,0:15:20.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I guess at least, as China approaches zero \Nbirths, the CCP is trying to make sure that
Dialogue: 0,0:15:20.36,0:15:25.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of China across ethnic groups is \Nheading towards dystopia together.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:25.96,0:15:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,While that certainly sounds grand, \Nit’s less “Grandpa Xi” grand
Dialogue: 0,0:15:30.00,0:15:34.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and more “Grandstanding Xi” grand.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:34.04,0:15:36.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And before you go, don’t forget to sign \Nmy petition.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:36.58,0:15:39.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Apple—which just so happens to rely on the China market
Dialogue: 0,0:15:39.39,0:15:42.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for more \Nthan $50 billion in revenue per year,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:42.28,0:15:44.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,could be censoring the China Uncensored App,
Dialogue: 0,0:15:44.44,0:15:47.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,by refusing to either approve it or reject it.
Dialogue: 0,0:15:47.36,0:15:53.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So click below and sign this petition to tell \NApple to not censor the China Uncensored App!
Dialogue: 0,0:15:53.56,0:15:56.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once again, I’m Chris Chappell. See you next time.