China on Sunday warned its men against "buying foreign wives" from Bangladesh, according to state-backed Global Times.
The Chinese embassy in Bangladesh warned its citizens against falling for cross-border dating content on social media, urging them to steer clear of illegal matchmaking agents. "Think twice before marrying in Bangladesh," stated the embassy.
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The embassy said Chinese citizens should be vigilant against romance scams on short video platforms so that they can avoid personal and financial losses, urging victims to report to Chinese authorities immediately.
It warned that Bangladesh's judicial procedures are lengthy and hence those arrested on suspicion of human trafficking might find themselves stuck in red tape for a long time.
It should be noted that Chinese law does not allow agencies to engage in matchmaking services for profit or through deception.
In July 2023, a widow from Bangladesh's Chuadanga got her daughter married to a Chinese citizen, identified as Cui Po Wei. Traffickers, under the guise of a matchmaking agency, convinced the girl's family that the Chinese man who worked at a factory in Gazipur had converted to Islam and was planning to settle in Bangladesh.
However, two months later, the man took her to China and forced her into prostitution. It was later revealed that the traffickers sold the girl to the Chinese man for 10 lakh takas.
China has around 35 million "leftover men" who are unmarried and in their 30s and 40s. They struggle to find a wife because of the one-child policy enforced by China for decades and the gender imbalance caused by societal preference for male children.