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