Chinese social media users this week dismissed and rejected India's anticipated ascension to the top of the global population by mid-2023.

India's population is predicted to reach 1.428 billion this year, while China's is expected to decline to 1.425 billion, according to estimates released on Wednesday by the United Nations Population Fund.

It's a widely predicted change, considering China's birthrate has slipped to record lows, while India boasts a 75% working-age population. India's population boom also marks a shift in China's long-held identity of bursting growth — China has been the world's most populous country for decades.

However, Weibo users, China's equivalent of Twitter, claim the title is irrelevant, and some are even pleased to see it disappear.

Many of China's young people have concluded that having children or even getting married is too expensive due to the country's tightening housing market, COVID-19's economic impact, and the burden of hustle culture.

The foreign ministry of China also made an effort to minimize the consequences of the population transfer.

Repeated border confrontations between their armies have also strained relations between China and India. In border skirmishes, at least 20 soldiers were reportedly slain.