On Tuesday, October 6th, the arrest of Chinese community leader Xuan Guojun and his wife, Zhang Siwei, for keeping at least 21 children in captivity has once again brought the issue of surrogacy to the forefront of society’s attention. It is noted that among clients seeking surrogacy services in the United States, Chinese clients rank first.
According to a report on international surrogacy in the United States published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), out of 40,177 surrogacy cases between 2014-2020, Chinese clients accounted for 41.7%.
The data from the report shows that in cases involving foreign nationals, the proportion of Chinese parents seeking surrogacy services significantly surpasses the second-ranked France (9.2%) and the third-ranked Spain (8.5%).
The report also found that among international surrogacy clients, a majority opt for egg donation (67.1%), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (72.8%), and preimplantation genetic diagnosis (79.0%).
With the tightening of immigration policies by the US government, the demand for surrogacy services by Chinese individuals in the US appears to be increasing.
A recent report revealed that there are 107 Chinese-funded surrogacy centers in Southern California alone, catering mostly to wealthy Chinese individuals, some of whom have direct ties to Chinese state-owned enterprises.
According to The New York Post, a California-based Chinese-owned surrogacy company called “Patriotic Surrogacy” has been accused of withholding information about the biological parents of children from surrogates. The organization recruits surrogates informally through social media platforms, offering compensation ranging from $60,000 to $120,000.
On September 13th of this year, CBS reported that a single mother from California, Judy, saw an ad for surrogacy on Instagram and signed up to earn $120,000 as a surrogate through “Patriotic Surrogacy”. She was informed that the commissioning parent was a single father.
Media reports on leaked surrogacy contracts revealed that the father of the child commissioned to Judy is Xu Bo, a director of Guangzhou Duyi Network Co. Ltd.
In July 2026, Xu Bo’s gaming company, “Duyi Network,” posted a photo on Weibo, a Chinese social media platform, showing over 100 young children sitting neatly in rows. The account claimed, “Mr. Xu Bo has over 100 children.”
Surrogacy costs in the US vary by region, with most individuals seeking surrogacy in the US being wealthy Chinese.
Physician’s Surrogacy in San Diego states on its official website that typical surrogacy costs in the US range from $150,000 to $220,000. Surrogacy costs in California are higher than in other parts of the US, often at the upper limit of this range or exceeding it.
According to information on the website of West Coast Surrogacy in Aliso Viejo, California, average surrogacy costs range from $190,000 to $240,000.
US Senator Tom Cotton has expressed concerns that these children born in the US automatically gain US citizenship. Most babies are swiftly sent back to China, where they grow up under direct influence of the Chinese Communist Party.
He believes that a Chinese billionaire having so many children through surrogacy in the US signals a clear intent to raise male heirs holding US passports. These children may eventually gain the right to vote in US elections, hold sensitive positions, or advance Beijing’s interests in other ways.
He argues that this not only abuses existing immigration and citizenship laws but also raises serious concerns: whether this is a long-term strategy planned by hostile forces to undermine the US from an ideological and institutional standpoint. Such behavior poses a significant national security risk.
In May of last year, in Arcadia, the wealthiest Chinese city in Southern California, a scandal broke out in a $4 million mansion where 21 children were found held captive. Most of these children were born to different surrogate mothers, but legal guardianship was held by a Chinese “couple”.
The male individual was identified as the local influential pro-China community leader and president of the “American Xinjiang Chamber of Commerce,” Xuan Guojun, while the female was Zhang Siwei, 27 years younger than Xuan Guojun.
At the time, the police told a reporter from The Epoch Times, “The father (Xuan Guojun) told us they just wanted a large family and many children.” However, as the investigation deepened, the police found that many children had suffered physical and mental abuse. The initial police investigation determined that these children came from a surrogacy organization operated by Xuan Guojun and Zhang Siwei.