A MATCHMAKING trend in Beijing has caught the Prime Minister's eye, and he floated the idea last night for Singapore to think about.

Mr Lee Hsien Loong described the phenomenon of Beijing parents secretly seeking spouses for their children at 'Parental Matchmaking Sessions' in parks.

Thousands of parents exchange the photos, resumes and phone numbers of their children, he said in his Mandarin speech at the National Day Rally.

The parents would then pass these phone numbers to their children, saying they came from colleagues, he added.

Perhaps Singapore parents too can play matchmaker for their children, doing it sensitively and with a helping hand from the People's Association (PA), he suggested.

There is no harm for the PA to give it a try and run similar activities for matchmaker-parents, he said, to loud applause.

Modern matchmakers have a role, he said.

In the past, he said, marriage was not viewed as a personal problem for the children but a family affair.

'When their parents said, 'Get married,' they got married,'' he said. 'The matchmakers would do their part.'

But he said young people now tell their parents: "Thank you, but please do not interfere."

So he posed the question: What to do when young people cannot find spouses? That was when he said: 'We continue to need the modern-day matchmaker.''

At the rally, PA chief executive director Tan Boon Huat declined to comment on playing modern matchmaker, saying it was 'too early'.

PM Lee is renewing the focus on marriage and babies, saying it is a long-term challenge.

In his inaugural 2004 rally, the issue was highlighted when he presented a $300-million package of sweeteners to encourage people to have babies.

Two years later, he said babies and immigration are needed as a vital pool of talent to keep the economy growing.

Mr Lee, who has often made it clear that marriage and babies are deeply personal choices, asked the parents of single adults to be sensitive.

And their children should take the matter seriously. 'The Government can only help from the sidelines,' he said.

He showed that the problem of falling marriage and birth rates is not unique to Singapore.

Here, and in East Asia, young people need to value marriage as an important stage in life. He singled out Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan as having lower birth rates than Singapore.

The Republic's fertility rate is only 1.29. This falls far short of the replacement level of 2.1.

Turning to South Korea, he said it has a slogan: 'Get pregnant within one year of marriage and have two babies by 35.'

Reality, he said, is harsher.

Mr Lee noted that these Confucian-influenced societies are changing profoundly.

Women want to be treated as equals but men have not changed their perspectives fast enough, he said.

He recounted the story of a Singapore man who told a dating agency he wanted an independent and successful wife.

Prodded further by the agency, he blurted: 'She must be absolutely gentle and submissive!'

But such conservative men are less common now, Mr Lee said. More men are doing housework, and caring for children.

On the flip side, the attitudes of women also changed 'too fast', he added, citing an article by a Canadian academic who spoke to three Beijing graduates.

The Canadian asked them: 'If you find a good job in south China, but your boyfriend is in Beijing, then what do you do?'

All three said: 'We'll go to the south to get the job.'

They would still choose their jobs over men, even if the man is their fiance.

Men and women, he said, need a better balance between career and marriage.

Otherwise, they may miss the chance to find love and happiness - and also pass the ideal age for babies and a family life.

Saying the long-term challenge of marriage and babies must not be neglected, he observed:

'Ten years later, we may not remember that in 2008, Singapore's inflation was a certain level.'

But 10 rallies from now, he said, Singapore will still be talking about babies.

siewhua@sph.com.sg