China child trafficking rings broken

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FUZHOU, China, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Chinese police rescued 89 children and arrested 335 suspects in cracking nine child trafficking rings, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said.

Police officers from nine provincial regions, including Fujian, Yunan, Sichuan, Anhui and Guangdong took part in the operation that began Dec. 18, Chen Shiqu, the ministry's criminal investigation division anti- trafficking office director said Monday.

Human trafficking is regarded as a serious problem in China, with infants, particularly males, sold to couples unable to have a child, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency said.

Since a government crackdown began in 2009, police have broken up 11,000 child trafficking rings and rescued 54,000 children, Chen said.