Elderly Chinese people sitting at dining tables and eating plates of food.
Falling birth rates saw China's population drop by 850,000 people last year, according to official figures.
  • JPMorgan strategists warned that China could turn into the Japan of the 1990s unless it addresses specific economic challenges.
  • China has a rapidly aging population and a difficult macro environment, but it also has some strong points. 
  • Beijing must stabilize its housing market to avoid the same pitfalls Japan faced decades prior.

China could soon resemble the slow-growth, financially-stagnating Japan of the 1990s if it doesn't address its economic challenges soon, according to JPMorgan. 

Strategists warned Wednesday of the superpower's "Japanification" risk that could stem from an unsteady housing market, financial imbalance, and an aging population.