A Xinhua report dated Jan 11 tells us of a problem we all knew was bound to happen — that there will be MANY lonely Chinese men in the years to come.

The report issued by the State Population and Family Planning Commission had some startling numbers to divulge:

• There will be 30 million more males of marriageable age in China than females by the year 2020
• China's sex ratio for newborn babies in 2005 was 118 boys to 100 girls, compared with 110:100 in 2000. In some regions, the sex ratio has reached 130:100.
• The Chinese capital Beijing saw 109 boys born for every 100 girls in the first 11 months of 2006.

With the current obsession with the development of a "harmonious society", the powers that be are now worried that the gender imbalance will cause social instability. The reports added that some Chinese localities have outlawed fetus gender diagnosis and offered cash incentives to girl-only families in a bid to halt the trend.

Shanghaiist is reminded of the Lost Generation in World War I in Europe which killed so many men that many women were left single simply because there weren't enough men to go around.

Of course, the gender imbalance has other side effects. Births go undocumented, and unwanted baby girls are being trafficked through illegal means. The latest tightening of adoption rules for foreigners does not help. In short, the new regulations disallow single, homosexual, obese, disfigured people and individuals on anti-depressants to adopt Chinese babies.

But unless the law is changed to allow polygamy for women, or same-sex marriage, 30 million men are likely to remain very, very lonely.

Image from phengine05.