An increasing number of rich Chinese are paying women in America to deliver their babies, either due to infertility or to gain U.S. citizenship, according to Reuters.
As a result, some surrogacy agencies and fertility clinics in America are developing websites in Chinese, and hiring staff who can speak Mandarin. The cost of surrogacy starts at around $120,000, and is therefore only an option for rich Chinese.
Shanghai businessman Tony Jiang and his wife had problems with infertility, eventually deciding to use a surrogate in America, who gave birth to a daughter, and later twins, according to Reuters. In fact, Jiang started his own agency in 2012 due to requests for surrogacy help from friends, and has overseen 75 cases to date.
Surrogacy is illegal in China, and infertility has risen in the past 20 years. Some people already have a child but want another outside of the Chinese regime’s one-child policy, for example officials and workers at state-owned enterprises, who would otherwise lose their positions.
The policy has been in place for over 30 years and covers 63 percent of the country with harsh fines in place for those who violate it, and even forced abortions and sterilizations. Having another child overseas still goes against the policy, but in reality is difficult for authorities to restrict
