Chinese pregnant mothers still likely to flock to US to give birth, despite scrapping of one-child policy, say industry insiders
China’s decision to scrap the one-child policy and allow couples to have two children is unlikely to reduce the number of Chinese mothers going to the United States to have a baby, according to industry insiders.
Many mothers involved in “birth tourism” have a child in America to gain rights to US citizenship as well as previously trying to get round China’s one-child policy, they said.
Chen Lei, the sales director at Xiduobaby in Shanghai, a firm that provides services for pregnant mainland women wanting to give birth in California, said the relaxed family planning policy was good news for similar agencies and had led to more potential clients contacting their business.
“Lifting the ban only makes the business better because now couples are given more choice,” said Chen.
“Their second child can easily get a hukou, or permanent household registration, back home and they can decide whether it will become a US citizen when the child turns 18.”
READ MORE: US homes raided in crackdown on pregnant Chinese ‘birth tourism’ rings
Lily Zhang, the owner of another agency in Beijing, said many of her clients opt to give birth in the US for the right to get a passport, even though they are eligible to have one or two children back in China.
