China Tightens Bride Restrictions

From now on, it will be difficult for unmarried Korean men in rural areas to marry Chinese women.

This is because female members of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is seeking to drastically strengthen China’s international marriage law by requiring a foreign man wishing to marry a Chinese woman to submit a property and income certificate.

A Chinese newspaper reported yesterday that 16 female members of the CPPCC presented a legislative proposal based on the above matter before the National People’s Congress (NPC), which is being held at the Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

These female members, in their proposal, said, “A total of some 4,000 Chinese women got married to foreign men in 2004 and nearly 1,000 of them divorced. This means one in four who marry foreign men is getting divorced.”

They pointed out that problems in the system are leading to the increase in the number of women who are reporting to the Chinese embassy that they were beaten and sexually abused or detained by their spouses.

They claim that China lacks a legislative system that can secure a stable life after marriage for these women, and that China’s international marriage law only requires the identification of a foreign person wanting to marry a Chinese national after being into announced in March and August 1983.

Jong-Dae Ha orionha@donga.com