Foreign marriage disputes increase(2)

Liu Li, a judge at Beijing Chaoyang District People's Court, confirmed that the number of family disputes involving foreigners has risen, along with the value of property and assets in contention.

In a recent case, a Canadian man and Chinese woman appeared before the court contesting 5 billion yuan ($811 million) in assets, including property and stocks, Liu said.

In financial terms, it is the largest dispute handled by the court.

"Divorce cases involving foreigners are challenging for courts because many countries are not bound by Chinese law or verdicts," she said, adding that this can lead to delays in finalizing a divorce.

In one high-profile case, Li Yang, known for the Crazy English language-learning method, and his ex-wife Kim Lee, from the United States, took more than two years to break up and are still involved in sorting out property, she said.

"There is a problem in sending judicial documents to foreign litigants who are not in China or cannot provide accurate home addresses.

"Foreign divorce disputes may take a court half a year or even more to conclude, far longer than cases between two Chinese people," Liu said.

Cultural differences also play a role, she said, citing a case involving a Chinese woman and a man from the Middle East.

"The couple had a good relationship before they had a baby. The man's mother had different opinions from the Chinese mother on bringing up the child. Tension escalated and finally affected the marriage," Liu said.

Zhang Weibo, a lawyer specializing in foreign marriage cases, said some people do not live with their foreign partners after getting married, or there might be an age gap, which can lead to incompatibility.

Zhang handled a case involving a 68-year-old German, who was CEO of a small company. He divorced his younger Chinese wife because he could not get along with her friends.

But the woman was not given any property after they broke up, "as the German had drawn up a contract that stated he would not lose property if the marriage failed and Chinese courts found in his favor".

Zhang suggested pre-nuptial agreements as a way to protect both parties.