Tensions between Hong Kong residents and visitors from mainland China ratcheted up Wednesday, after a full-page advertisement decrying a so-called invasion of “locusts” from across the border appeared in a local newspaper.

The advertisement in the Apple Daily asks if Hong Kongers approve of spending HK$1,000,000 (US$128,925) every 18 minutes to take care of children borne by mainland parents and declares that “Hong Kong people have had enough!”

Picturing a giant locust perched atop a mountain overlooking Hong Kong, the ad invokes the locally-coined locust label used to describe mainlanders, reflecting a concern among some residents in Hong Kong that mainland Chinese are “taking over” the city.

A surge in the number of pregnant Chinese women crossing into Hong Kong to give birth has put a growing burden on the resources of local hospitals. According to the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department, the number of live births in Hong Kong by mainland mothers went from 26,838 in 2006 to 40,875 in 2010 — a 52% increase.

On Tuesday, a Hong Kong Hospital Authority official said in a radio interview that public hospitals may ban mainland mothers to ensure that local pregnant women can be accommodated.

Full Story: Hong Kong newspaper ad rails against Chinese ‘invasion’

Source: CNN Asia