How China Takes Advantage of U.S. Birthright Citizenship Rules to Increase Its Influence in America

Chinese Surrogacy Operations Highlighted in New Book

A new book by investigative journalist Peter Schweitzer reveals troubling practices regarding surrogacy in the United States, particularly involving the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This operation appears reminiscent of the dramatized elements in The Handmaid’s Tale, where U.S. surrogates carry children for Chinese officials in exchange for birthright citizenship.

Schweitzer writes, “While many Chinese women travel to the U.S. to give birth and potentially secure American citizenship for their children, a more complex and perhaps ethically questionable method involves the use of surrogates here. These surrogates carry babies for CCP officials, who then take custody of the children at birth to raise them in China.” The chapter is titled “China: Manchurian Generation.”

Schweitzer, known for multiple bestselling titles, discusses how the largely unregulated surrogacy industry in Southern California has thrived over the past decade. He notes that this trend began around 2009 when Chinese elites started to openly discuss obtaining U.S. citizenship for their kids via surrogacy on WeChat, a platform closely monitored by the Chinese government. The scale of the operations is significant, though difficult to quantify. Some producers claim to regularly see several newborns traveling business class from L.A. to Beijing.

His research highlights that children born to surrogates in the U.S. automatically receive citizenship, similar to those born to tourists. Ironically, while the Chinese government publicly denounces this practice, it takes no action against it and seems to encourage its citizens to exploit the lax regulations present in the U.S. surrogacy sector.

One revealing case involves Guojun Shuang, a high-ranking CCP official who had a child through surrogacy. His situation gained notoriety in May 2025 when a two-month-old child in his care was hospitalized. Authorities later discovered that he had 15 other children, all living in his expensive mansion in California. Notably, he arranged for the births through a company that acted as a sort of surrogacy pipeline, often without the surrogates knowing about others pregnant by the same couple simultaneously.

California records show over 100 surrogacy companies in the state, many owned by Chinese nationals. Furthermore, the process of acquiring IVF treatments in the U.S. is linked to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which organized events to connect Chinese patients with overseas medical providers.

Schweitzer argues that the CCP perceives itself as a superior civilization, aiming to outpace a decaying West. This perspective influences its policies and its support for mass immigration to the U.S., seeking to rival Western civilization.

Schweitzer’s book, The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon, has debuted at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list.