agencies------ illegal

[David S]

I'm wondering if one of their selling points to the ladies is that when they are introduced and then marry a foreign man that he will be rich and very willing to pay the obligation for them?  It seems that the fees are very high and that most Chinese ladies would have a hard time paying it themselves.

[ttwjr32]

good point and probably true

[Proteus]

The very document which defines illegality of overseas matchmaking is issued as early as 1994. The full text is here,

?1994?104??

??1???2??3???4???

General idea,

To enforce regulation of overseas matchmaking, protect rights of Chinese women and reputation of China,
1. It is prohibited to establish any agencies to practice overseas matchmaking. Domestic matchmaking agencies or individuals are not allowed to practice overseas matchmaking in any way.
2. Civil departments should cooperation with police and bureau for industry and commerce to find out any already established overseas matchmaking agencies and give due punishment.
3. Civil, security and diplomatic departments are prepared to receive revelations of overseas matchmaking agencies from any citizen. Any form of media is prohibited to put on advertisements for overseas matchmaking.
4. Any application for domestic matchmaking agencies will reach civil department of the province for approval. Only with that approval, commercial instrument will be given.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From my own speculation, this document carries a twofold intention. First, 1994 is only several years after the political turmoil taking place in 1989. There was a considerably loud voice in government urging China to return to Mao's policies to cut off relations with capitalist countries in order to avoid "peaceful evolution". Overseas marriage is one of the dangers government fears. Second, till 1994, information of Southeast Asian women marrying into Hong Kong and Taiwan were aboundant. Yet much of it were not happy stories. It is natural and resaonable because of the economic gap between Southeat Asia and those rich areas. (stories of Japanese women with US soldiers after WWII and Vietnamese women with Chinese men nowadays usually carry similar tune). In this sense, the claim of the head line to "protect rights of Chinese women and reputation of China" is true.

Yet there is very complex situation for implement of this document. It defines vaguely responsibility of several civil departments but has no further specific announcements to guide them. So in actual practice, they often don't know how to act because reality is usually much more complicated than listed in the document. On the other hand, rationality and suitability of this document is pondered and doubted more and more. Unlike use of drugs, this business is not one we can judge right or wrong easily by moral standards. In this triangle situation between Chinese women, Foreign men and agencies, each part is sometimes vulnerable for its own reasons. Chinese women usually suffer from little knowledge of law and subsequent deceit, foreign men from language and culture barrier, agencies from lack of legal protection. So there are already voices for legalising and regulating overseas matchmaking heard in academic circles. I myself am for this view.

Chnlove is immune simply because Hong Kong enjoys certain atonomy allowing it. But strictly speaking , agencies that work with Chnlove in mainland China cannot enjoy that exempt. But in actuality, government seldom interfere unless they get complaints.

http://www.songtaste.com/play.php?song_id=585699

[Willy The Londoner]

As I understand it there is a special licence requirement to introduce Chinese Nationals to Foreigners.  I am told that only 30 of these special licences have been issued.  May be wrong but that is my info.

That would suggest that the vast majority of the independent Chnlove agencies do not have the special licence.

As the major percentage of the business of individual agencies does not involve foreign husbands they can get away with many things as they are to all intents just another match maker for Chinese Nationals to Chinese Nationals.  

We may think that we are a major part of their business -but my info is we are not.  Of course it is the major source of income for Chnlove hong kong but not the local agencies.   They make money by matchmaking locals to locals.  

That is maybe the reason that some members have found that their ladies do not want to move overseas when it comes to the crunch.  They basically joined the local agency to find a husband - not just a foreign husband in the first place.

Each agency has many branch offices.  If you name any agency you will probably find that they have maybe half a dozen or more branch offices with the same name in that same city.  

Willy

[rockycoon]

To enforce regulation of overseas matchmaking, protect rights of Chinese women and reputation of China,
1. It is prohibited to establish any agencies to practice overseas matchmaking. Domestic matchmaking agencies or individuals are not allowed to practice overseas matchmaking in any way.
2. Civil departments should cooperation with police and bureau for industry and commerce to find out any already established overseas matchmaking agencies and give due punishment.
3. Civil, security and diplomatic departments are prepared to receive revelations of overseas matchmaking agencies from any citizen. Any form of media is prohibited to put on advertisements for overseas matchmaking.
4. Any application for domestic matchmaking agencies will reach civil department of the province for approval. Only with that approval, commercial instrument will be given.

after reading #3 it would see that "any form of media" would include the internet, yet these ladies are advertized all over the internet and in fact depend on it.

[Willy The Londoner]

This is an Extract from  posting I made in December.
  It looks as if there is not a lot of control over these agencies.
Willy

But sources with the Guangzhou Municipal Commercial and Industrial Bureau said these two agencies were only registered to hook up people from within the country.
There are no regulations relating to the supervision and management of such dating agencies.
Many of them promise to find a customer a spouse within a certain amount of time. But legal experts said this is cheating because it gives people false hopes. Such a contract is invalid if it cannot be realized, lawyers said.
Some agencies promise the women that when they meet a foreigner and plan to get married, the agency can get them a visa to go abroad. But a visa, of course, depends on the embassy or consulate of the relevant country.
A reporter from the daily newspaper conducted an "underground" investigation early this month, in a bid to find out what was behind the two agencies.
The reporter was apparently told by the Ming'aoyuan agency to pay more than 20,000 yuan (US$2,470) to become a member of the agency and date foreigners.
The southern city of Guangzhou has seen an increasing matchmaking market in recent years as many people have a more tolerant attitude towards love and marriage.
The bureau and the civil affairs department in Guangzhou have warned people who are seeking love through matchmaking agencies to be cautious with contracts.
"The huge market has been a magnet for many, including illegal agencies who cheat customers," an official with the Guangzhou Civil Affairs Bureau said.

[ttwjr32]

well it boils down to  if there are complaints then they could
very well penalize you severely otherwise they probably leave
you alone to make your money.

[Vince G]

It all depends on how the company/agency presents themselves. Chnlove says many of the members have "married". They don't say they have you married in a certain time? That's how they get away with it.

[Willy The Londoner]

I think what the article I posted was saying is that although the agencies need to be registered as a business there is no specific rules or regulations that apply to the running of these businesses - just the existing laws of the land.  Such as fraud, theft etc.

But with Chlove being in Hong Kong a SAR then the laws of china do not apply to its operation.

Willy