While an aging population is a common concern faced by both China and the US, US experts said their research shows the Chinese government and public sector can and should do more to provide care for its growing elderly population.

This suggestion was shared by Ronald Lee, professor of the Graduate School and Founding Director for the Economics and Demography of Aging of the University of California, Berkeley.

He, together with Andrew Manson, senior fellow at the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii, initiated the concept of National Transfer Account (NTA), a project that studies the economic impact of demographic changes as they relate to the aging population.

"In every society, children are supported and educated, and the elderly are supported in one way or another," Lee said. "NTA estimates the different ways that this happens, through the family and through the public sector."

He said one special thing about China is that China has a very large rural population.

"NTA results shows that unlike most countries in the world, in China, the family support system is still contributing to provide resource for the elderly, and the elderly are continuing to help their adult children," Lee said. "Yet, most elderly people who fall into such category are living in urban areas and receive public pensions, which help them to better support their children. For those elderly people in rural areas, there is still a lot to be done by the public sector."

Lee and Manson were in Beijing on Nov. 13, to attend the 10th Global National Transfer Account (NTA) Conference, which was hosted by the China Academy of Social Sciences and the National School of Development, Peking University.

"In China, NTA indicates that the family and the government are equally important for educating children and for supporting the elderly, while the US the government is much more important for both education and the elderly," Lee said.

The researchers said raising the retirement age would benefit the elderly – as long as the government comes up with a good pension system - because people are living longer, healthier lives. Lee said the idea that people retire at the age of 65 to 70 has been gaining support worldwide.

"The ideal pension design by the government should be that if you work one year longer, your pension after retirement should be a bit higher, as it has to make up for one year contribution," he said.

Members of the NTA network have been conducting research and survey in more than 40 countries worldwide since 2005 to study how demographic changes are having impact on the nation's economy. Li Ling, professor of the National School of Development at Peking University, and Chen Qiulin, associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, are leading the NTA research in China.

It has been almost a year since China announced during the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee that it would relax its family planning policy. The new policy allows young parents who themselves are a single child in their family to have a second child.

A recent survey result by the National Health and Family Planning Commission showed that by Nov. 5, 700, 000 couples in China were planning to have a second child. This is lower than earlier estimates by experts, which had put the number at about 2 million couples.

"There might be a big spike in birth rate, as suppressed demands is suddenly emerged," Lee said. "People who had their first child two years ago, or even 10 years ago, maybe want to have their second. That would all lead to a big increase," Lee said, adding: "But I think it's quite unlikely that there would be a big resurgence of birth rate."

Several Chinese academics in the area of demographics and in attendance at the conference agreed with Lee. Among them, professor Cai Fang, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"China's fertility rate reached its lowest point during the 1970s, which is before the family planning policy took place," Cai said. "This suggested that policy change would not necessarily bring demographic changes."

Contact the writer at zhangyue@chinadaily.com.cn