The country's population is likely to stand at 1.5 billion and reach a zero growth by 2040, said a population expert in Beijing yesterday.

Li honggui, vice president of the Demographic Society of China, called the zero growth "a critical point" and predicted the population to begin drop afterward.

Last year, the Chinese population grew by 5.87 per thousand, adding 7 million citizens.

By 2040, the population aged above 65 will account for some 12 percent of the national total, a hefty increase from the current 7.6 percent, said Li, warning against difficulty in finding enough work force for social and economic development.

As the Chinese population keeps declining after 2040, one in five Chinese will be gray-haired in the most extreme circumstance, and the society is expected to provide better entertainment opportunities and social welfare services to the group, noted Li, a deputy to the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

The advent of year 2040 will also greatly change the country's population policy. "Priority will be put on preventing population from dropping too quickly after 2040 and significant policy changes are likely to occur before then," Li told Xinhua yesterday while attending the ongoing NPC annual full session.

However, it is very unlikely for China to readjust its birth control policy on a short run as it is still a crucial measure to maintain a low birth rate, Li said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2005)