Efforts boosted against human trafficking

He said intensified efforts by the United States and Canada to combat people smuggling had led to gangs looking for new destinations, such as China.

In most cases, the women are tricked into believing there are well-paying jobs waiting for them in China, Chen said, adding that the South American victims rescued so far have held tourist visas.

"Criminal organizations overseas always operate in collusion with a gang in China. They have a strict management structure and assume different tasks, such as kidnapping or transporting victims," Chen said. "Women are abducted from Vietnam and Myanmar and forced into prostitution or illegal marriages in China.

"We must resolutely target the people behind these organizations and make every effort to search for and rescue victims," he said.

However, authorities face major legal and language barriers when it comes to cooperating with counterparts overseas, as well as conducting investigations and collecting evidence abroad.

China has signed the Mekong River Sub-regional Cooperation Anti-trafficking Memo with Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cambodia, to establish annual high-level exchanges. The ministry has also set up eight border offices with neighboring countries.

In November, the ministry and the International Organization for Migration, which is based in Switzerland, held a seminar in the Chinese capital attended by 60 frontline police officers from 10 provinces and regions.

Chen said discussions included how to identify abduction victims, how to improve coordination between authorities, and shared experiences of rescue work.

"Although some progress has been made, more cooperation in international law enforcement is needed to curb the rampant transnational human trafficking," Chen said.

He vowed that his taskforce will enhance intelligence exchange and cooperate with other countries to discover and rescue victims, and destroy trafficking rings.

The team also arranges regular training with the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children, in the US, and the US central bureau of Interpol.

Chen added that police nationwide will improve rescue work involving cross-border trafficking, streamline deployment and repatriation channels, and explore setting up transiting and rehabilitation centers in border areas for foreign abducted women and children.

Hong Daode, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, urged authorities to continue targeting nightclubs and other entertainment venues considered hotspots for illicit sex services.

Dai at the People's Public Security University of China also said that neighboring countries, as well as those in South America, must strengthen border controls and carefully investigate the identities of people crossing borders to prevent crime at the source.

Contact the writer at zhangyan1@chinadaily.com.cn