Beijing, April 19 -- China is experiencing a rapid demographic shift marked by an ageing population and declining fertility, with the demographic advantage that supported decades of economic expansion now increasingly turning into a liability, according to a Taiwanese researcher cited in a report by the Taipei Times.

In an article titled "Observations on China's Population Structure Issues," published in the Mainland Affairs Council's latest briefing on Mainland China and Cross-Strait Situation, Wang Chan-hsi, an associate researcher at the Institute for National Defence and Security Research, noted that China's birthrate has dropped significantly since 2016.

He pointed out that the number of newborns fell to 7.92 million last year, jus...