BEIJING: Chinese authorities have broken up a child trafficking ring, arresting 76 suspects and rescuing more than 30 children.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Friday that railway police in southern China's Kunming city started an investigation last year after discovering several abducted infants at the local rail station and on trains. The trafficking ring was operating in several provinces.

Trafficking in children is a big problem in China, where a traditional preference for male heirs and a strict one-child policy has driven a thriving market in baby boys. Unwanted baby girls also are sold or abandoned by parents who want sons.

China rescued more than 8,000 abducted children last year.