China criticises international media coverage of its declining population

‘They slandered all the way and China has developed all the way’

Commuters rush to catch their trains at a subway station during the morning rush hour in Beijing (AP)

A Chinese state broadcaster has slammed international media reports for "bad-mouthing" the country after UN data suggested India is set to overtake the Asian giant as the world’s most populous nation.

According to the UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) State of World Population Report, India’s population will be nearly three million more than China’s by the middle of 2023.

Modelling suggests India’s population will be 1.4286 billion by the middle of the year, against 1.4257 billion for China.