If the reproductive strategies for some of China’s wealthiest families are not astounding, it is not for want of trying. These ultra-rich tycoons of business have been commissioning dozens and sometimes hundreds of American surrogates in the past years to bear children for them. Sprawling dynastic lineages stretch across continents. What started as a discreet workaround to China’s domestic ban on commercial surrogacy has alarmed judges, lawmakers, and ethicists on both sides of the Pacific.
1. The Courtroom Shock That Lifted the Veil
In a closed hearing in Los Angeles County family court last year, Judge Amy Pellman counted the recurrence of one name on confidential surrogacy petitions: Xu Bo, a Chinese videogame billionaire. According to court records, Xu sought parental rights for four unborn children while siring at least eight more through US surrogates. Xu reportedly told the court that his long‑term goal was 20 US‑born sons to inherit his business empire. Pellman denied his petition-a rare move in surrogacy cases-warning that the practice was morphing into industrial‑scale reproduction.
2. Mega‑Families as Status and Strategy
A far-from-unique case is that of Xu. He has publicly boasted about himself as “China’s first father,” boasting of “a little over 100” babies. The social media posts linked to him say, “having more children can solve all problems,” and he even waxed fantastically that his offspring would marry those of Elon Musk. Another tycoon, Wang Huiwu, reportedly commissioned surrogacies for 10 daughters from among American models, a finance PhD, and a musician, with apparent plans for marrying those off to influential men.
3. The Clandestine Network of Fertility Industry
California’s lax surrogacy laws and court processes shrouded in secrecy have transformed the state into a magnet for foreign clients. Agencies, in vitro fertilization clinics, attorneys and nanny services are part of an interconnected network that can handle most steps remotely. The costs can run up to $200,000 a child, with agencies taking up to $40,000-$50,000 per arrangement. Industry leaders acknowledge that it often would be impossible to follow whether a single client is commissioning dozens of pregnancies at one time.
4. From Loophole in Population Control to Dynasty Building
At first, overseas surrogacy allowed Chinese families to sidestep the one‑child policy, which ended in 2015. Children born abroad as US citizens were exempt from domestic penalties. But motivations have shifted. Nathan Zhang, founder of IVF USA, says, “Elon Musk is becoming a role model now,” with some clients seeking “hundreds of children” to forge “unstoppable family dynasties.” Zhang recalls declining a request for more than 200 children at once, asking how they would be raised only to be met with silence.
5. Citizenship and Geopolitical Tensions
Automatic citizenship given to children born on US soil through the 14th Amendment has inflamed surrogacy into a highly politicized issue. In 2020, Washington clamped down on visa rules for birth tourism, and in January, Donald Trump’s issued an executive order challenging automatic birthright citizenship-now pending before the Supreme Court. Senator Rick Scott has sought to ban US surrogacy for nationals of certain countries, such as China, over national security and human trafficking concerns.
6. China’s Official Stand on Morality
While Chinese law forbids domestic commercial surrogacy, it does not prohibit citizens from traveling abroad for the procedure. High-profile cases, however, have ignited public opinion. In 2019, when actress Zheng Shuang’s US surrogacy arrangement went sour and degenerated into a custody battle, the Communist Party’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission publicized an announcement condemning the practice. More recently, rumors that journalist Fu Xiaotian had had a child through US surrogacy coincided with the disappearance of foreign minister Qin Gang and fueled speculation and scrutiny.
7. Moral Fault Lines and Gender Selection
Research estimates that 41.7% of all foreign surrogacy clients in the US are from China, and many opt for preimplantation genetic testing to select the gender of embryos or exclude those with genetic disorders. It is reported that Xu preferred boys, which his company has denied. Many critics say such practices further deepen gender imbalances and commodify reproduction, though other supporters argue that such practices constitute personal choices within a legal framework.
8. Psychological Implications of Sensational Fertility News
Stories of billionaires creating 100‑child dynasties fire up doomsday anxiety about the stability of society, almost as if the pronatalist rhetoric is amplified for those attending conferences like NatalCon. Experts remind readers to be informed but not alarmed. “Even with declining birth rates, global population growth will continue for decades, and immigration can offset any workforce declines,” says sociologist Philip N. Cohen. Managing stress means focusing on tangible policies-like childcare support-rather than reacting to extreme cases.
9. A System Struggling to Keep Pace
While US surrogacy cycles involving international parents quadrupled between 2014 and 2019, regulatory oversight has fallen far behind. For both US and Chinese authorities, fragmented laws combined with voluntary guidelines and confidential proceedings make it nearly impossible to monitor issues of scale, ethics, and citizenship implications.
As wealth concentrates and technology advances, the line between family building and strategic reproduction blurs, putting legal systems and moral boundaries to a test unlike any posed before.
