BEIJING: A controversial suggestion by a professor from a prestigious university in China to promote international marriages as a solution for the 35 million so-called leftover men in the country has sparked debate and outrage online.
The demographic challenge stems from decades of the one-child policy, which skewed gender ratios and led to a surplus of 34.9 million men over women, according to China’s Seventh National Population Census in 2020.
A report earlier this year from Institute for China Rural Studies at Central China Normal University detailed the increasing difficulties faced by rural young men in finding spouses over the past decade.
The report identified high bride prices and a declining recognition of traditional marriage as primary reasons.
Ding Changfa, an associate professor from the School of Economics at Xiamen University has recommended facilitating international marriages and the importation of foreign brides.
He suggested men in China could consider marrying women from countries such as Russia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Pakistan.
“In rural China, we have approximately 34.9 million ‘leftover men’ who might face the marriage pressures of providing housing, cars, and bride price totalling between 500,000 and 600,000 yuan (US$70,000 and US$84,000).
“Last year, the average disposable income per capita in rural areas across China was just over 20,000 yuan (US$2,800). Solving this issue could involve attracting a significant number of eligible young women from overseas,” said Ding.
His remarks ignited an online backlash.
Many women argued that “importing” foreign brides was akin to human trafficking, while others raised concerns about potential language barriers leading to family conflicts.
However, many men supported the idea.
They believed that foreign brides have lower expectations as they do not demand houses, cars or high bride prices and are seen as hardworking and virtuous.
On online observer said: “Opening up international marriages is like letting Tesla enter the Chinese market. It stirred up competition, improved quality, and brought down prices for consumers.
“Similarly, international marriages allow foreign men and women to enter China’s open market and compete, each relying on their abilities and might increase the chances of marriage and boost birth rates.”
International marriages have become more common among men in China.
On Douyin, some professional matchmakers even started to offer China-Russia matchmaking services.
This taps into demographic disparities between the two countries. Russia has a surplus of women and China has a surplus of men.
Jingongzi, a finance influencer with more than 1.8 million followers on Douyin, said: “South-East Asia has maintained close ties with China since ancient times, and culturally, we share many similarities. For example, Vietnam still celebrates the Lunar New Year.
“Consequently, women from South-East Asia don’t experience significant cultural shock when they come to China. Moreover, the local income in these countries is very low.
“Additionally, many South-East Asian countries are actively promoting Mandarin to strengthen ties with us, which will eliminate communication barriers.” - South China Morning
