Aging population is driving modernization

Modernization, urbanization and the breakneck speed of economic development have been China's most remarkable achievements in the past five years, according to the head of a policy institute based in London.

Speaking ahead of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Robin Niblett, director of the Royal Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House, said the most visible demonstration of the country's economic growth has been the rise of modern 21st-century cities.

"Whether you go to Beijing or Chengdu (capital of Sichuan province), you feel you are in more modern areas than in many parts of Europe or the United States," he said.