Illegal Chinese cross-border matchmakers flourish as demand grows
Chinese authorities are striving to stamp out the illegal practices of cross-border matchmakers as demand for their services grows.
Two years ago, a cross-border matchmaker introduced a 19-year-old Vietnamese woman called Le Hong Duyen to Sichuan migrant worker Chen Tao. Nine months later, Le married Chen and moved to Guangdong province where she started a matchmaking service, introducing Vietnamese women to Chinese men.
With Le’s help, bringing a Vietnamese bride to China costs 38,000 yuan, which covers processing of legal documents, a translation service, Chinese lessons, a health check and a wedding ceremony.
However, this service is illegal in both China and Vietnam.
Chen Shiqu, who is in charge of tackling human trafficking for the Ministry of Public Security, on Monday confirmed with that China forbade the establishment of marriage agencies involving foreigners. He added that no one is allowed to engage in fraudulent or profit-making matchmaking activities involving foreigners. Chen’s comments have quashed online rumours that buying a foreign bride is a matter of personal choice and is legal.
Le tries to get around this by declaring on her website that her service is personal and the 150 Vietnamese women listed on the site are friends and relatives.
Similarly, Honest Asian Brides Network, a matchmaking website where Le worked when she first moved to China, claims on its website that the company doesn’t provide matchmaking services, only consulting services. The agency, which was established in 2009, now has branches in Hong Kong, Guangdong, Shanghai and Vietnam.
