# Rust Belt

The Last Stand of the Rust Belt: How Liaoning Siphons Its Neighbors as Northeast China Shrinks

Northeast China has lost 4 million people in five years, with Liaoning province acting as a temporary 'siphon' for residents from neighboring Heilongjiang and Jilin. Despite this internal migration gain, Liaoning's rapid natural population decline and stalling GDP growth suggest the region's demographic crisis is entering a terminal phase.