News Analysis China’s 2020 census is finally available. It has brought Beijing some good news but only relative to fearful expectations. The statistics still issue a warning for the future. The census announces that the country’s population as of 2020 totaled 1.41 billion, up 5.4 percent from 2010. Since there was some considerable fear that the population had shrunk, this was good news for the authorities. But any rejoicing must have been muted. The growth is the smallest since China began its census in the 1950s. And if this slow population growth relieves Beijing’s worst expectations, the overall picture still points to a smaller population in coming years. Most significant from an economic standpoint is the disproportionate drop in those of working age, for this prospect threatens to severely limit the overall pace of development. The root of these problems lies in the one-child policy that prevailed in China from …