Chinese billionaire alleged to have 100+ children by American surrogates

A reclusive Chinese billionaire has reportedly fathered over 100 children through American surrogates, according to a bombshell report from the Wall Street Journal.

Key Takeaways:

• Xu Bo, 48, is said to be a billionaire and is the the founder of Duoyi Network, a Chinese mobile gaming network.

• A new report from the Wall Street Journal claims he has fathered over 100 children through surrogacy, though an ex-girlfriend believes the number could be as high as 300.

• When seeking legal parentage, a Los Angeles family court grew suspicious of Xu, who allegedly told the court he wanted at least 20 sons to take over his business.

The Details:

According to the Wall Street Journal, Judge Amy Pellman became concerned when she saw Xu's name come up over and over again in surrogacy petitions. When she did some research, she saw that Xu was seeking parental rights to four preborn children, and had filed previous applications for eight more.

When she called him in for a hearing, he appeared only by video, and said he wanted to have at least 20 sons through surrogacy to take over his business — specifically boys, which he said are superior to girls.

Pellman denied his parental rights applications, leaving those children in legal limbo. In a statement to the Wall Street Journal, the Duoyi Network said only that "much of what you describe is untrue."

Yet another report from the India Times had even more disturbing information, this time from Xu's ex-girlfriend, Tang Jing. They have been engaged in a legal battle over millions of yuan, and Tang has said that not only does she not owe Xu the money, but that she has taken care of his large family for him, which numbers over 300.

"For over 10 years, the cost of maintaining and caring for this large family was immense. Most of the money went toward our daily living expenses," she said, adding that 300 children is not a typo. "No. That number might even be undercounted, but it’s certainly not exaggerated."

There are also allegations that, on Weibo, a Chinese social media site, Xu has boasted of being a "rare elite man" and sought women to have "at least 50 high-quality sons." He also allegedly said that "having more children can solve all problems" and fantasized about marrying his daughters off to the children of billionaire Elon Musk.

The account also claimed he was able to successfully appeal Judge Pellman's decision.

"Xu Bo had had several children (all of mixed Chinese and Jewish descent) who were taken away in the United States due to sabotage by feminists and a malicious rulings by a female judge," the statement said in April of 2024. "Later, appeals were filed, and all the cases that went to trial were won. I heard that another case was won today, and one child was awarded to Xu Bo; he has already received the child."

The Duoyi Network ultimately denied that Xu has over 300 children, saying he has "only a little" over 100 children. A video posted on Weibo showed around a dozen children, mostly boys, running towards the patio screaming "Daddy!" in excitement.

The children are said to live in homes in California (though it is not known specifically where), and are being raised by nannies.

Why It Matters:

While Xu's case is by far the most extreme, it's also far from the only unethical case regarding surrogacy.

One California surrogacy agency found to be operated by a Chinese couple with 21 infants in their home, was deemed a "national security threat." Surrogates were reportedly lied to about the intended parents. The couple was allegedly running a surrogacy scheme in which children were born to surrogates in the United States and then trafficked back to China.

There have been similar trafficking allegations in other countries as well, with one American surrogate, for example, horrified to learn the baby she had carried was not placed with an infertile couple as she had been led to believe, but was instead sold to a couple in the United Kingdom who already had multiple children.

There has been a growing number of other horror stories, to the extent that the European Union has even issued a resolution condemning surrogacy. None of this is altogether surprising; there are widespread abuses in the fertility industry, especially regarding surrogacy, as the industry is completely unregulated.

Surrogate mothers often live in poverty and choose to become surrogates for wealthy foreigners in an attempt to provide for their families. They are at a higher risk for numerous complications, like gestational diabetes, hypertension related to pregnancy, and post-birth bleeding complications.

Surrogacy also places children at risk, as in vitro fertilization (IVF) is associated with higher risks of complications like low birth weight and prematurity. Separating babies from their birth mothers, whether they are biologically related or not, is also known to cause lifelong trauma, and even impact brain function.

The Bottom Line:

Surrogacy is, at its core, a commodification of human beings, with women and children alike treated as products to be bought and sold. Xu's case is perhaps a more extreme example, but he is hardly alone.