Commentary
No one measure can summarize, but the weight of evidence tells a sad story of decline. China’s once optimistic and confident middle class is losing ground and, in many cases, slipping back toward poverty.
Thinking About China
Opinion
The Chinese Dream Is Dying
The picture of a once-optimistic and enthusiastic Chinese middle class has changed with many now slipping toward poverty—sad for workers, dangerous for the CCP.
A resident wearing a mask naps on a bench near the CCP's propaganda slogan "Chinese dream" in Wuhan, China, on April 1, 2020. Ng Han Guan/AP Photo
Milton Ezrati
Author
Milton Ezrati is a contributing editor at The National Interest, an affiliate of the Center for the Study of Human Capital at the University at Buffalo (SUNY), and chief economist for Vested, a New York-based communications firm. Before joining Vested, he served as chief market strategist and economist for Lord, Abbett & Co. He also writes frequently for City Journal and blogs regularly for Forbes. His latest book is "Thirty Tomorrows: The Next Three Decades of Globalization, Demographics, and How We Will Live."
