The fourth China Population and Development Forum, focusing on advancing Chinese modernization with high-quality population development, was held in Beijing on Dec 19. Shen Yueyue, vice-chairwoman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), delivered a speech at the forum.

Shen said that population development is a crucial issue for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and remains a comprehensive, long-term, and strategic challenge for China. 

She stressed the importance of adopting a dialectical and rational approach to the new trends in population development, and of understanding, adapting to, and leading the new normal in population growth. She urged improvement of the population development strategy in the new era, which should be aligned with strategic arrangement of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation, and follow the basic principles for promoting high-quality population development.

Shen highlighted the need for comprehensive policies to enhance population quality, strategic planning to build a birth-friendly society, reforms to strengthen utilization of human resources, coordinated efforts to implement the national strategy for addressing population aging, and foundational support to optimize population structure and distribution.

She said the CPPCC should maximize its role as a specialized consultative body, offering genuine advice on key issues in the population field, enhancing ideological and political guidance, and fostering broad consensus.

Wang Jianjun, deputy head of the Committee on Population, Resources, and Environment of the CPPCC National Committee, and Qiao Jie, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and executive vice-president of Peking University, gave speeches on "Implementing National Strategy for Addressing Population Aging and Promoting High-Quality Population Development" and "Strengthening Fertility Protection and Improving Birth Quality", respectively.

The forum was co-hosted by the China Family Planning Association, the Committee on Population, Resources, and Environment of the CPPCC National Committee, and the China Population and Development Research Center.