Information on the official attitudes toward common-law marriages and the children of such marriages, and on whether unmarried couples are forbidden to have children [CHN15207]
The First Secretary of the Embassy of the People's Republic of
China in Ottawa provided the following information on the above
subjects during a telephone interview on 10 September 1993.
Common-law marriages are not recognized and have no legal status in
China. There is no reference to common-law marriages in the Chinese
marriage law. Although such marriages are not legal, children of
common-law marriages are considered "innocent" and are treated like
other children. There is no Chinese law forbidding unmarried
couples from having children.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible
information currently available to the DIRB within time
constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be,
conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee
status or asylum.
Reference
Embassy of the People's Republic of
China, Ottawa. 10 September 1993. Telephone interview with First
Secretary.