China’s new measures have sparked public outcry on social media, with netizens questioning the intention of the authorities and expressing concerns about bigamy or identity cheating in marriages. — Photo by li guowen on Unsplash
China’s proposed measures to ease marriage registration while making divorces harder to get have provoked a wave of public backlash, a reflection of the challenges facing the world’s No. 2 economy in arresting a sharp drop in births.
Chinese authorities will no longer require couples filing for marriage to provide their hukou, or household registration, as part of draft changes to existing regulations. The proposed amendment also added a 30-day cooling-off period for those seeking a divorce, a rule already enacted in 2021 that made it more difficult to exit a marriage.
