Latest news with #ChineseCitizens
South China Morning Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Chinese embassy in Nepal repeats warning against India border travel after 2 more arrests
China's embassy in Nepal has once again warned Chinese citizens in the Himalayan country not to visit the Nepal-India border region, after two Chinese nationals were arrested by Indian police for allegedly taking photos and videos in the area. Advertisement The reminder, posted on Friday via the embassy's official social media account, was the third such reminder in the past month. It said that despite repeated warnings for Chinese nationals travelling in Nepal to avoid the India border area, some chose to ignore these cautions and insisted on visiting the region, resulting in several arrests by Indian border guards over alleged illegal entry. 'In order to protect the safety of Chinese citizens in Nepal, the Chinese embassy in Nepal once again solemnly reminds Chinese citizens not to go to the Nepal-India border area,' the statement said, warning that Nepal and India had 'comprehensively strengthened patrols and inspections' in recent days. The embassy also noted that Nepal and India shared an open border with few border signs, allowing the citizens of both countries to travel freely with their identity documents. However, nationals of other countries could not travel to India through Nepal without a visa, and Chinese citizens visiting the Nepal-India border area were very likely to mistakenly enter Indian territory and face the risk of arrest, it warned. Advertisement It also warned about severe penalties in India for illegal immigrants. Even if entry into Indian territory was accidental, individuals would be arrested, prosecuted, and could face between two to eight years of jail time, along with fines, the notice said. The reminder came a day after two Chinese nationals were arrested at the Jatahi-Pipraun border in India's Bihar state on Thursday.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
China warns its leftover men against ‘buying foreign wives'
The Chinese government has warned its citizens in Bangladesh against " buying a foreign wife" amid growing reports of marriage scams and human trafficking in the South Asian country,. The Chinese embassy in Dhaka late on Sunday urged Chinese citizens not to be 'misled' by posts on social media offering quick marriages abroad. The embassy stated that, according to Chinese law, no marriage agency was allowed to offer international matchmaking services, while citizens were barred from hiding such activities through deception or for profit. Chinese citizens were advised to stay away from commercial cross-border marriage agencies and remain vigilant against online romance scams to avoid both financial and personal losses, the embassy added. China has a reported surplus of 35 million men who are unable to find brides in part due to the Chinese government's three-decade-long one-child policy, which pushed families to prefer male children. Girls were either selectively aborted or abandoned. China has also witnessed a steep decline in marriages, with 6.1 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2024, compared to 7.7 million the previous year. The decline is mostly driven by factors such as increased economic pressures, rising cost of living, and Chinese women pushing back against patriarchal gender expectations. There are growing reports that a generation of so-called "leftover men" (shengnan shidai in Chinese) are looking towards Pakistan, Russia, Bangladesh and other nations to "purchase" brides. The growing demand for these brides has fuelled human trafficking, with children and women from South and Southeast Asian countries being smuggled into China. Bangladeshi women are among those who have been allegedly being sold in China by criminal gangs under the pretext of marriage, according to a Daily Star report. The embassy warned that those involved in illegal cross-border marriages in Bangladesh may face arrest on suspicion of trafficking. Ding Changfa, an associate professor from the School of Economics at Xiamen University, faced backlash after suggesting that men in China could consider marrying women from Russia, Vietnam and Pakistan to end the marriage crisis. '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 yuan (£51,100) and 600,000 yuan (£61,400)," he was quoted by the South China Morning Post as saying. 'Last year [2023], the average disposable income per capita in rural areas across China was just over 20,000 yuan (£2,000). Solving this issue could involve attracting a significant number of eligible young women from overseas,' he added. Pakistan has been at the heart of the trafficking ring, where parents in poor Christian families were being pressured to offer up their daughters to Chinese men, according to reports. Human Rights Watch in a 2019 report said women were trafficked to China through 'a porous border and lack of response by law enforcement agencies on both sides [has] created an environment in which traffickers flourish.' The group called on China and Pakistan to act in the face of 'increasing evidence that Pakistani women and girls are at risk of sexual slavery in China'.
South China Morning Post
26-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Chinese embassy warns citizens against ‘buying foreign wife' scams in Bangladesh
China's embassy in Bangladesh on Sunday issued a notice to Chinese citizens to avoid the 'misguided notion' of 'buying a foreign wife' through online matchmaking scams. Advertisement The statement published on the embassy's social media account urged Chinese nationals to stay away from illegal agencies that promote cross-border blind dates and marriages 'to avoid losing both money and person'. The embassy warned that individuals involved in illegal marriages in the South Asian country risked being arrested for human trafficking, a charge that often triggers lengthy judicial proceedings that could last months or even years. Cross-border marriage agencies are illegal under Chinese law, but online advertisements promoting foreign brides have begun to appear more frequently as China faces declining marriage rates and a gender imbalance. Last year, China saw its lowest number of marriage registrations since 1980, with just 6.1 million marriage certificates issued, a decline of more than 20 per cent from 2023. Advertisement According to the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, there are an estimated 30 million more men than women in China, a legacy of decades of strict family planning policies
South China Morning Post
25-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
China's spy agency warns of foreigners posing as scholars, tourists, ‘insincere lovers'
Chinese citizens should be on alert for friendly foreign faces who could be spies – from scholars who do not do research and tourists who do not sightsee, to lovers who only want information, the country's top spy agency has warned. In a post on its official social media account on Sunday, the Ministry of State Security said foreign spies might be hiding in plain sight, using various identities to carry out activities that threaten China's national security. It highlighted five deceptive identities commonly used by foreign spies: tourists who do not sightsee, scholars who conduct no real research, businesspeople who do not do business, investigation consultants who do not investigate, and 'insincere lovers' who exploit relationships to gather information. The post warned that some agents could approach Chinese students abroad and appear to be 'like-minded foreign friends who shared the same interests', only to try to recruit them through romantic relationships. 'Don't be fooled by sweet talk, and never disclose sensitive or classified information to them,' it said. The ministry also urged members of the public to alert national security authorities about any suspicious people and activities
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Forget China's navy, Chinese small boats landings on Taiwan are a new source of concern
TAIPEI — China has long sought to intimidate Taiwan with its massive navy, air force and the world's largest standing army, but it's mere dinghies that are now causing the most consternation. Taiwan's coast guard has documented five cases totaling 38 Chinese citizens crossing the 160-kilometer (100-mile) wide Taiwan Strait separating the self-governing island democracy from the authoritarian Chinese mainland, according to the body's deputy director-general Hsieh Ching-chin.
