“More than twenty children have been sold this year!” A baby-selling intermediary in Shandong claimed to have connections within hospitals, offering a full set of services including birth certificates, household registration, vaccination certificates, and the option to choose between baby girls and boys.
According to a report by “Red Star News,” recently, a journalist from the media and a volunteer pretending to be interested in buying a baby and obtaining a birth certificate met with an intermediary surnamed Zhong in Linyi, Shandong.
“Whether you want to buy a baby girl or a baby boy, it’s all good. Just let us know in advance, and we will find expectant mothers. We have sold over twenty children this year already,” said Zhong, the intermediary. “Whether buying a child or assisting with household registration, I have never encountered any issues.”
The intermediary explained that purchasing a baby girl costs 140,000 yuan (RMB, same below), and a baby boy costs 160,000 yuan. After paying a deposit, on the day the child is born, the buyer only needs to wait at the hospital entrance. Once the newborn health check is completed, the buyer’s father signs at the hospital, and they can take the child home. The intermediary also promised to arrange for the child’s “Birth Medical Certificate” in the buyer’s name.
Zhong also mentioned being able to determine the gender of the fetus through insiders at the hospital. If there are health issues or gender discrepancies after birth, a full refund can be provided.
Regarding the sources of the children, Zhong stated that they acquire babies from young women facing unexpected pregnancies who are unwilling to raise the child, with many of these mothers being young female college students.
To ensure a seamless process, Zhong mentioned that after the expectant mother reaches the due date, hospital admission procedures are carried out using the identity information of the buyer’s parents, not the biological mother’s, to avoid complications.
Moreover, for babies of unknown origin, they can also arrange for a “genuine” birth certificate, which is pricier than directly purchasing a baby at 180,000 yuan. This higher fee accounts for the increased risk associated with obtaining a birth certificate based on false documentation.
The intermediary forges fake records with the help of hospital staff for babies not born at the hospital. To eliminate suspicion, it takes two to three months before a valid birth certificate can be issued based on the falsified records.
Zhong mentioned having “connections” at Lanling County Maternal and Child Health Hospital and Linyi City Maternal and Child Health Hospital, with many successful transactions so far.
She said, “As long as the buyer pays enough money, we will handle everything that follows.” When questioned about the hospital connections, Zhong evaded a direct answer.
In addition, Zhong claimed to be able to help with vaccination certificates for an extra 20,000 yuan. She showed a photo of a vaccination certificate purchased for someone else, purportedly from the Lanling County Urban Community Health Service Center.
On October 18, “Red Star News” contacted the Lanling County Maternal and Child Health Hospital regarding the issue. The staff expressed skepticism since the intermediary did not specify the identity of the alleged hospital “connections,” but they stated that an investigation would be conducted. The director of Linyi City Maternal and Child Health Hospital responded that the local public security bureau had initiated an investigation, but due to ongoing operations, detailed information could not be disclosed.
After the incident came to light, it quickly became a top trending topic on Weibo on October 18. Many netizens expressed shock, with comments like, “Unbelievable, this land is becoming more surreal by the day. Anything is possible here.” Some questioned the police not uncovering this earlier, while others criticized the heinous criminal act of colluding with maternity hospitals to sell babies.
One netizen remarked, “A full-scale service in Shandong, surrogate mother services in Qingdao, birth certificates in Linyi.” Another from Guizhou added, “A hospital in our city was exposed by undercover journalists before, but it was quickly swept under the rug, and the hospital continues to operate normally.”