More than a third of Hong Kong men who were married last year tied the knot with a woman from the mainland, Hong Kong government statistics show.

 

Of the 50,300 marriages registered in Hong Kong in 2006, 18,000 Hong Kong men married mainland women. In 1996 only 2,215 Hong Kong men married mainland women, according to the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)?government.

 

The department says another 10,000 Hong Kong men applied last year for certificates proving they are not currently married, which is a requirement of the Chinese mainland.

 

Only 3,400 Hong Kong women married men from the mainland last year.

 

Earlier reports suggested the growing trend of cross-border marriage between Hong Kong men and mainland women was the result of Hong Kong women becoming better educated and financially independent, making them less likely to look for a spouse.

 

In addition, the Census and Statistics Department noted a gender imbalance in 2006, with the ratio of men to women at 961:1,000.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2007)