Family reunification visas to China are a normal immigration route on paper. But in recent years, the unusually high rate of Bangladeshi women traveling on this route has raised new questions. Because, at the same time, several allegations have come to light. Where marriage, dreams of a better life abroad, and the opportunity to go to China have been used as a trap for fraud and women trafficking.

It is important to clarify one thing at the outset. Marrying a Chinese citizen does not mean fraud, and there is no information that every Bangladeshi woman who goes to China is also a victim of trafficking.

There is also no opportunity to associate Chinese citizens with crime as a whole. But the various allegations and investigation data do not allow us to dismiss the concern that the legal marriage and family visa route is becoming an opportunity for some criminal groups.

At least 4,226 Bangladeshi women have taken Q-1 or family reunification visas to go to China between 2020 and 2025. According to information presented at a recent workshop on the Human Trafficking Act, this number was only 35 in 2022.

The following year, it jumped to 1,016. In 2024, 1,378 and in 2025, 1,721 women went to China on this visa.

The numbers themselves are not evidence of a crime. But the reasons for such a jump in such a short period of time need to be investigated. Especially when there have been allegations in various areas that women have been taken to China by brokers with the promise of a good life abroad, financial security or marriage.

The descriptions of some incidents are more worrying. For example, a Chakma family in Rangamati alleged that one of their young women was taken to Dhaka and married to a Chinese citizen. A similar allegation was made in the case of a Marma woman in Khagrachari. In another incident, a young woman from Bagerhat alleged that she was drugged and made unconscious. Later, she was threatened with releasing private photos or videos. At one point, she was sent to China, where she was tortured.

Each such allegation requires an impartial investigation and legal verification. However, the incidents raise a common question – is an organized gang of brokers exploiting the weakness and helplessness of Bangladeshi women in the name of marriage with a foreign national?

Dream trap

One of the old tactics of human trafficking is to use people’s dreams. For poverty-stricken or financially insecure families, marriage abroad often means hope for a new life. Brokers use that hope as a tool. Sometimes it is said that if you go abroad, you will get a good house. The husband will be wealthy. The family will be secure. Sometimes the family is promised financial support. Sometimes there is talk of a job or the opportunity to settle abroad.

The investigation also found allegations of the use of fake addresses, fake documents and dubious marriage papers. In some cases, it is alleged that the intermediaries were involved in transactions ranging from 10 to 20 lakh taka to arrange for the women to be sent to China.

The question is, how much are these marriages verified? Are the identities, addresses, marital status, financial and family information of both parties sufficiently verified before the marriage? Is there an effective system to check whether the woman is going abroad voluntarily or not, and whether she is aware of the potential risks?

China’s presence in Bangladesh is no longer limited to large bridges, power plants or infrastructure projects. The presence of Chinese companies and investments in various sectors – manufacturing, electricity, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, technology and industrial parks – is increasing. This is also an opportunity for Bangladesh. Investments may come, employment may be created, opportunities for technology transfer may be created. The movement of people will increase, financial transactions will increase, and local and foreign business contacts will increase. There is also a risk that criminal gangs may enter through the loopholes in that legal communication.

Therefore, welcoming foreign investment is not the same as relaxing surveillance on foreign individuals or institutions. There needs to be effective surveillance on who owns projects or businesses financed by foreign funds, who are the real beneficiaries, where the money is coming from, where it is going, who are the local intermediaries. This policy should apply equally not only to China, but to all countries.

In recent years, some Chinese nationals in Bangladesh have also been accused of involvement in crimes such as drugs, cyber fraud and online gambling. In March, three Chinese nationals were arrested in connection with the discovery of a makeshift ketamine factory in Uttara. Investigators seized about 6.3 kg of ketamine and alleged links to an international drug network. In other cases, large numbers of SIM cards and telecommunications equipment were seized in connection with online gambling and cybercrime.

Each of these cases must be judged on its own facts and evidence. No nation can be held responsible for the crimes of a few individuals. There is no reason to criminalize the numerous legitimate Chinese companies, investors and citizens operating in Bangladesh. But at the same time, the question remains, are the country’s law enforcement and regulatory agencies sufficiently prepared to deal with new types of transnational crime?

Bangladesh is not alone. Cases of women trafficking under the guise of foreign marriage have also been documented in various countries in South and Southeast Asia. There are allegations that women from economically vulnerable communities in Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos are being tricked or forced into marriage in China.

There are multiple factors behind such crimes. Poverty, gender inequality, weak birth registration and identity verification systems, weak border surveillance and powerful brokering networks, etc.

Laws exist, enforcement is a question

Bangladesh has taken steps to strengthen the legal framework to prevent human trafficking. In addition to new laws and policies, there is also talk of creating a standard operating procedure for stricter verification in cases of marriage with a foreign national. But laws alone will not solve the problem.

Rapid information exchange between the police, CID, special branch, immigration, local administration and financial intelligence agencies is essential. If more than one agency has information that a woman is going abroad to marry a foreign national, it may be possible to quickly identify any suspicious matter.

Qazi offices or marriage registrars who knowingly cooperate in fake or fraudulent marriages must also be held accountable. The role of banks and mobile financial service providers is also important. In cases of human trafficking, large sums of money can be transacted through multiple individuals and intermediaries. The capacity of financial institutions to identify suspicious transactions needs to be increased.

Intelligence-based surveillance, not harassment at airports

Viewing all women going abroad with suspicion in the name of preventing human trafficking is not the solution. Bangladeshi women have the constitutional and personal right to go abroad for study, work, business, marriage and family reasons. That right cannot be unduly restricted. Rather, surveillance should be based on information and risk.

Airport officials need training to identify such issues as whether there are inconsistencies in marriage documents, whether the person accompanying the passenger is suspicious, whether there are abnormalities in the travel plan, whether the passenger is scared or stressed. The goal should not be to stop someone just because they are a woman; rather, the goal should be to find specific signs of possible trafficking.

Cooperation between the two countries is needed

If a Bangladeshi woman goes to China and becomes a victim of trafficking, it may not be possible for the Bangladeshi investigation agency alone to find out all the information. There, effective communication between the agencies of the two countries is needed to find out marriage documents, the identity of the husband, the address of residence, bank transactions or information about the brokers involved. Therefore, effective cooperation from China is important here. The exchange of information between the two countries, joint investigations, tracing of money laundering routes, tracing of victims and rapid repatriation measures need to be more effective.

The Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh has previously warned about illegal ‘matchmaking’ and ‘buying’ of foreign wives. This position needs to be transformed into more practical cooperation, not just warnings.

Families need to know the risks

In many cases, the first line of defense against trafficking can be found in the family and local community. When a marriage proposal is made abroad, the family needs to know who the groom really is. Where is his address? Whether he has been married before. What is his profession and income? Who is arranging the marriage. How the visa application was made. Women also need to have a safe and confidential consultation system where they can find out without fear or family pressure whether there is any risk of fraud in their foreign travel or marriage process. There should also be an easy system for reporting suspicious situations.

Warning

The information that 4,226 Bangladeshi women have obtained Q-1 visas to go to China is not a crime statistic. It is not clear how many of them have been trafficked. But the rapid increase in numbers and the allegations that have come to light together make one thing clear: Bangladesh needs to be vigilant now.

China is an important economic partner of Bangladesh. This relationship can create opportunities for Bangladesh. There is also potential for cooperation in investment, infrastructure, technology and trade. But a deep relationship with a powerful country does not mean that Bangladesh will compromise on its own interests, laws or the security of its citizens. The real challenge before Bangladesh is to maintain balance.

The relationship with China can be deeper. It can also be positive for Bangladesh. To make the relationship sustainable, accountability, transparency and mutual responsibility must be ensured. The question arises whether family reunification visas are being misused. If we delay finding an answer to that question, we may have to tell another family that their daughter went abroad to get married, but never returned.