Birthing pains of integration

Chinese from the Mainland have come to Hong Kong in increasing numbers since the 2003 Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement.

Though they boost the regional economy, among them are a growing number of pregnant women.

In 2011, about 28 million Mainland Chineese travlers brought in revenue of 260 billion Hong Kong dollars but 33,000 babies, almost half of region’s births, were also born.

Around 80,000 mainland babies have born in Hong Kong since 2003, sparking an outcry over what’s been called “birth tourism”.

This put a severe strain on the capacity of Hong Kong’s medical services and education resources causing severe adaptation problems.

Sentiment has cooled somewhat since the city stopped maternity bookings for Mainland mothers-to-be starting in 2013.