‘It’s terrifying that this might be at the hands of foreign adversaries with the sole intent of having a child that is a U.S. citizen’
By Melissa O’Rourke, Daily Caller News Foundation
A growing number of ultra-wealthy Chinese nationals are turning to U.S. surrogates to have children on American soil, taking advantage of America’s largely unregulated market and birthright citizenship, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
In one such case, Chinese video game billionaire Xu Bo has sought parental rights for at least four unborn children in Los Angeles, having already fathered or arranged surrogacy for at least eight additional children, according to the WSJ. The trend coincides with intensifying debates over the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of U.S. citizenship for anyone born in the country, a policy the Trump administration has sought to reinterpret.
Xu appeared in a 2023 confidential court hearing by video from China, telling the judge he hoped to have about 20 U.S.-born children, with a preference for boys, to inherit his business, the outlet reported. Several of the children were reportedly being cared for by nannies in Irvine, California, while awaiting paperwork to travel to China.