Huang Yiping, Dean of the Institute of National Development at Peking University, said at the China's Future Star Annual Meeting that the Japanese economy has not performed well in the past few decades. One of the important reasons is that the aging population has led to a rapid decline in the labor force. At present, China is in a similar aging process as Japan was back then. It is worth thinking about how to avoid falling into the trap of the Japanese economy. Huang Yiping pointed out that artificial intelligence and digital technology may provide China with an opportunity that Japan did not have back then, which can compensate for and alleviate the economic impact caused by the reduction of labor force. He cited an example of his research in Shaodong, Hunan where a lighter that used to be sold for only one yuan had its labor cost reduced to 3 cents due to the implementation of production automation. "If robots and artificial intelligence can continuously replace labor, and if the job is done well, it is entirely possible to relieve the economic impact of the declining labor force caused by aging to maintain sustained and stable economic growth," Huang said. (Ruijian Economy)