Xi doesn’t want to hear it. He hates all of this noise about “lying flat.” He wants young Chinese people to “eat bitterness,” take menial jobs for which they are overqualified, and work long hours for minimal pay. Oh, and by the way, they’re supposed to be getting married, having lots of children, and taking care of their parents, too. Good luck with that.
Most of the problems with the Chinese economy can be resolved if the government starts to understand the need for a dramatic expansion of the welfare state. The CCP–a communist party, the last time I looked–has resisted that to date, partly because it has concerns about debt, but mostly because it doesn’t want to encourage the Chinese people to lounge in the hammock of dependency. In that sense, Xi is more Victorian than communist.
Paul Ryan would be proud.