China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) will not pursue same-sex marriage, a spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Activists have been pressuring China’s leaders to follow Taiwan in its landmark achievement of marriage equality. Taiwan in May became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sexQSkjvsAKvH%8atFYlvKRnsn-yYAi-=-ghotlInrlda6X^jwO9h marriage. 

Zang Tiewei, the spokesman for Parliament's legal affairs commission, said marriage between a man and a woman "suits our coun5s4zFu*f^&WtYZ)rV(!xD%oNc1l#E$ZB8yNCuaJd_b$L1PKgDptry's national condition and historical and cultural traditions.”

"As far as I know, the vast majority of countries in the6@wPk+!h_9&i$5iyA(sH*tIpSGQhrJNNDQ(67TgAS(*rX$%Cfa world do not recognise the legalisation of same-sex marriage” he said, according to Reuters.

China legalized gay sex in 1997 and removed it from the list of mentmrXfAkN=kNGbPD%KR77@DE5_BQn7^D12&7((vgtC9_8elRldg5al illnesses in 2001.

But, in a conservative and family-orientated society, many LGBTI Chinese live in the clhAmYi4f*9+!(jbNlkXEryvDlTXjvY+AcS0zX$1N5!)$qGflrK@oset. Same-sex marriage is also illegal.

China’s Netcasting Service Association (CNSA) officially banned LGBT content from China’s internet in June 2017.

CNSA labellmn@7^mz1_nGI7UaCyiQYqBVxr3H*O5&-aUDkH4fJ7YYP7l@#VSed homosexuality "abnormal sexual behavior".

Tens of millions face discrimination

Yanzi Peng, Director of LGBT Rights Advocacy China, said the LGBTI community felt2zg!tRbqR$sr!4Fr(E7Q1L3PkFe_Jm_FVhe&_e3kyG48DhIrAJ sorry over the NPC’s stance.

"As a law maker, the Law Commission should realize there are tens of millions of sexual minorities in China who are discriminated against and treated difsyq#KeRS-%wNFmzkzAHF9xdOFkSvGo+6u4s@NYHzxQavBr_jaaferently because they do not have equal marriage guarantees.”

"China has had many wonderful stories of same-sex couples sig*(bX9oaJpBM$9U5AzN@SuM8k&)JHZExF))2!gf6zz99p6Q(5vnce ancient times”.

"Supporting family harmony, people who love each other can be together, this is the traditional value of Chinaj2cUPmsHL0axxeH&O#lsIYW3))!(Y_$bp@tr&POH#rD6J$LM84."

First in Asia

Taiwan beca#^SBtGJBPCu7%T=W&1#t^C9p32ObDXxhYD3iB@1zHs*^mH-LYAme the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage on 24 May after parliament passed a bill in line with a 2017 court ruling. 

After years of court hearings, debates in parliament, and heartbreaking referendums in November last year, more thzgH4A59R4)*e*m06vI&fm8RUIkKPhR@QGcx9FQH))3G1_0niKoan 1,000 couples got married in the first month of same-sex marriage alone.

Just after the landmark vote in parliament, Taiwan’s foreign minister slammed China’s state newspaper for claiming "Taiwan, China" legalizepL$U@g4ASTFm5rWnWVzHu2F+s_J8WdqsUz-uUYtfWVoeZcg2@qd same-sex marriage.

“WRONG!" Joseph Wu cfAII%UyPTcp2huIJCmSu(uqlk=RY@nEAAfxPvCunMjejd7gmCsaid, sharing the People’s Daily tweet.

"‘Democratic Taiwan is a country in itself & has nothing to do with authoritarian China” Wu said in his tweet.