article_snippet: Buying wives from abroad has become increasingly common in some of China's poor rural areas, where a gender imbalance has developed due to a traditional preference for sons and China's family planning policies.
article_snippet: Across China, 118 males are born for every 100 females, according to government statistics.
article_snippet: In some rural areas, men can be expected to own a house, car and have considerable wealth before men can attract a Chinese bride.
article_snippet: But with many unable to do so, the trade in overseas brides, which is often linked to human trafficking, has grown in China.