US Army Vet Runs California Agency Facilitating Birthright Citizenship for Chinese Nationals

A U.S. Army veteran is at the helm of a California-based surrogacy agency that facilitates the birth of children with U.S. citizenship for wealthy Chinese nationals. Patriot Conceptions, founded by Haotian Bai, operates between the U.S. and China, connecting Chinese couples with American women who carry their embryos.

The practice, while legal due to broad surrogacy laws and interpretations of the Fourteenth Amendment's birthright citizenship clause, allows children born in the U.S. to automatically become citizens. These children are often raised in China, where U.S. citizenship is viewed as a status symbol among affluent families.

Surrogates for Patriot Conceptions are recruited informally, primarily through social media, and can earn between $60,000 and $120,000 for their services. The agency's founder, Haotian Bai, a U.S. Army veteran, has also received a fellowship from the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank, which describes him as a "pioneering entrepreneur in the third-party reproduction" sector.

Patriot Conceptions has faced scrutiny, notably when a surrogate discovered she was carrying the child of Chinese billionaire Xu Bo, who allegedly has fathered over 300 children. The surrogate learned the father's identity only after being informed by news outlets. According to CBS, the agency stated it had arranged the surrogacy on Bo's behalf and that the surrogate's concerns should be taken seriously.

Bai's company, based in Irvine, California, lists its base cost for future parents between $120,000 and $200,000. The agency's website offers information in both Chinese and English and directs inquiries through WeChat, a popular Chinese messaging app. It also maps states with supportive legal stances on surrogacy for international clients seeking U.S. citizenship for their children.

Bai, 37, reportedly arrived in the U.S. around 2012 to pursue a master's degree at Iowa State University. A former colleague told The Post that Bai joined the Army to obtain citizenship, as the military was recruiting non-citizens for fast-tracked Green Cards at the time. His military service included a commission as a lieutenant and a posting in Hawaii.

In 2019, Bai was also involved in controversy in Hawaii, where he was accused of arranging legislative internships for Chinese students for a fee. A former state representative, Matthew LoPresti, expressed suspicion about the influx of Chinese interns into his office, particularly given the sensitive national defense work his office was engaged in. LoPresti brought his concerns to the FBI, and the internship program was eventually shut down amid allegations of exploitation. Bai has denied selling internships.

Patriot Conceptions states that it collects intended parents' nationality at intake and discloses it to the surrogate during the matching process. The company asserts that a parent's foreign nationality does not inherently indicate that the arrangement's purpose is to obtain citizenship.

Earlier this year, reports surfaced about a couple, Guojun Xuan and Silvia Zhang, who were accused of hoarding at least 26 children in their California mansion, many of whom were born via surrogacy through their own business. Patriot Conceptions has stated it has no connection to that case. Additionally, thousands of Chinese women have reportedly used the Northern Mariana Islands for birth tourism, a practice that exploits loopholes to gain U.S. citizenship for their children, who are often raised in China.