The Chinese Embassy in Dhaka has issued a stern warning to its citizens about fraudulent online matchmaking services offering “foreign wives” from Bangladesh. In a social media post on Sunday, the embassy cautioned Chinese nationals against engaging with illegal cross-border marriage agencies, stating such practices could lead to financial losses and legal troubles.
The advisory highlighted that participating in illegal marriage arrangements in Bangladesh may result in human trafficking charges, which carry severe legal consequences. While China prohibits cross-border marriage agencies, demand has grown amid the country’s declining marriage rates and gender imbalance.
Official data shows China registered only 6.1 million marriages last year – the lowest since 1980 – with a male population exceeding females by approximately 30 million due to past family planning policies. Rural bachelors face particular pressure, including costly dowry expectations.
Though Vietnam and Laos have traditionally been sources of foreign brides, South Asian countries like Bangladesh have recently emerged as new targets for such services. Scams often involve fake promises, with victims losing substantial sums without receiving brides.
Chinese courts have previously prosecuted individuals operating illegal matchmaking rings, including a Shandong case where traffickers defrauded clients of hundreds of thousands of yuan. In one incident reported by Legal Daily, a Pakistani bride exposed agents and her Chinese “husband” to authorities, leading to trafficking charges.
The issue gained further attention last October when a Xiamen University professor controversially proposed importing foreign brides to address China’s demographic challenges, drawing widespread criticism for potentially encouraging human exploitation.