May 23, 2018
These two images — one from the end of the Boxer Rebellion in 1901 and another from a meeting between Chinese trade officials and members of Congress last week — show the change in relative ages of US and Chinese delegations in high-stakes talks more than a century apart. The side-by-side meme, which went viral in China and then globally over the past few days, seems to reflect one of the emerging narratives of our time: China, the rising star, turning the tables on a graying US hegemony.
But hold on: which country is actually graying faster? China, in fact.
Just this week, Bloomberg reported that Beijing — worried about too many graybeards and not enough young workers to support them — may lift the two-child-per-family limit it put in place after the end of its infamous one-child policy a few years back. A reminder that things aren’t always as black and white (or young and old) as they appear.
More For You
- YouTube
The Pentagon is going all-in on AI warfare. Ian Bremmer breaks down what that means, how it happened, and what's at stake when machines start making targeting decisions.
Most Popular
Think you know what's going on around the world? Here's your chance to prove it.
Israel’s right-wing government has overseen a record expansion of settlements in the West Bank in recent years. The settlements, which are illegal under international law, are driving the displacement of Palestinians. One proposal the government is now advancing is the controversial E1 settlement plan, which would effectively slice the West Bank in two and severely undermine Palestinian aspirations for a contiguous state.
More than 70% of the earth’s surface is covered in good old H2O, so it would seem there’s plenty to go around. But the vast majority, at least 97%, is contained in the oceans as saltwater. The growing scarcity of freshwater for drinking, cooking, industrial, and agricultural uses is quickly moving water up as a global risk. In fact, our parent company, Eurasia Group, added it to its Top Risks list for 2026 as “The water weapon.”
© 2025 GZERO Media. All Rights Reserved | A Eurasia Group media company.