International

The Chinese say “yes I do” to singleness

The fathers and mothers of China who go to the parks with posters to “pair” their sons and daughters are getting their homework going uphill every day, because in these times in addition to not wanting to have offspring – which brings the Government upside down -, young people do not want to get married either.

The figures don’t lie: data released by the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs this week indicate that the number of marriages registered during 2024 fell to 6.1 million couples, the lowest figure since records began in 1980.

The decrease is also striking because it occurred, according to the lunar calendar, in the “Year of the Dragon”, the only mythological animal of the Chinese horoscope and a period so linked to good omens that couples traditionally scheduled their weddings or the birth of their children under this sign.

But now, in a country whose foundations rest on deep-rooted family values, the trend speaks of a youth that moves away from the millennial tradition quickly and without looking back, but who also, in many cases, does so to avoid the following “mandatory” steps of a list written in stone: having children and assuming the spouse’s family as one’s own.

“The cost of having a child is very high. I feel that life after marriage is not as good as when I am single,” Guo Shengnan, 27, tells EFE.

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This journalist and influencer on social networks also points out other factors, such as that her work career does not leave her time to fall in love and that “there are not many high quality men” in her environment.

“The marriage is not only the union of two people, but also the union of two families behind these two people, which means responsibility. I just want to live a good life for myself and I don’t want to assume those responsibilities,” says Guo.

The question of the family of law has special weight in the case of women. They are expected to take care of their mother-in-law in old age. And the mothers-in-law, in China, rule a lot.

Zhao (surname), a 37-year-old official who clings to his singleness after seeing his married friends “on the verge of collapse,” tells EFE that marriage “is not only the combination of two people, but also the combination of two families.”

“Differences in lifestyle habits, perspectives of life and opinions above all would drive me crazy,” says the interviewee, who affirms that his “patience and tolerance” for relationships every day are less and concludes: “marriage is not the crystallization of love, it can be the grave of life.”

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A walk through the crowded Chinese social networks confirms Guo and Zhao’s feelings.

“I have a younger brother. He can complete the task of getting married,” says an Internet user. Another refuses to “attend to men” and a third states that the purpose of getting married is to have children and since she does not want to have them, she does not need to get married.

In the case of men, economic reasons also arise, from the maintenance to the tradition of the dowry, which is still maintained in many places in a China where decades of one-child policy led to a gender imbalance, with many more men than women today.

“I don’t have a car, just a house in the countryside and a monthly salary of 5,000 yuan (688 dollars or 655 euros). I’m afraid that someone else’s daughter will die of hunger,” laments a user, while another drags an unpaid loan that prevents him from providing the dowry and one who boasts of having “house, car and life” believes that getting married will reduce his quality of life.

On the other hand, in many of the Chinese provinces babies born to unmarried couples cannot be legally registered, a headache for the authorities in the midst of a demographic crisis that has made China lose the title of the most populous country in the world at the hands of India.

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The population of the Asian giant, about 1,411 million inhabitants in the last census, has been decreasing for three years in a row for the first time since 1961, when the failed industrialization policy of the Great Leap Forward produced a famine that took millions of lives.

For now, the countless benefits approved by the Government to stimulate the birth rate – including “allowing” having three children – have fallen on deaf ears.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”