Birth tourism: Chinese flock to the US to have babies
Lured by US citizenship for their children, thousands of Chinese women give birth annually in the States, supporting a thriving birth-tourism industry.
Jiang Wenjun was getting ready to go to America. His wife, due to give birth to their son any day, was already there. Like any expectant parents, the Shanghai couple agonized over how best to prepare for the arrival and upbringing of their firstborn child. American citizenship, they decided, was one of the finest gifts they could bestow. America is the strongest country in the world, says Jiang, whose son was born just days after he eventually arrived in California this month. We want our child to have the best future.
The US is one of the few nations where simply being born on its soil confers citizenship on a newborn. That policy has spawned a birth-tourism industry, in which pregnant foreigners flock to American hospitals to secure US passports for their babies. Although the foreign couple can t acquire US nationality themselves, once their American-born offspring turn 21 they can theoretically sponsor their parents for future US citizenship. Another perk: these American-born kids can take advantage of the US education system, even paying lower in-state fees for public universities, depending on where they were delivered.
More rich Chinese than ever are sending their families and money abroad. One study of Chinese millionaires found that half had either emigrated or were thinking of doing so. Boston Consulting Group estimates that Chinese have some $450 billion stockpiled overseas. What s driving the exodus? Some wealthy citizens are spooked about the impact of an anticorruption campaign on their murkily sourced income. Others worry about the long-term risks of raising their kids in a polluted environment with dirty air, water and food. The pressure-cooker atmosphere of Chinese schools makes overseas schooling attractive. And even though China s draconian one-child policy is being loosened, some couples feel it s easier to give birth overseas and circumvent meddling by Chinese family-planning bureaucrats.
All of which has led to a proliferation of so-called anchor babies. At least 10,000 such Chinese babies were born in America last year, according to an estimate by an online platform dedicated to monitoring and rating confinement centers for Chinese women giving birth in the States. Naturally, a thriving business catering to these tiny foreign passport holders has developed. The Jia Mei Canadian and American Baby Counseling Services Center, with offices across China, charges between $30,000 and $40,000 to women who want to deliver babies in the States. The fee includes a plane ticket, accommodation in Los Angeles or Chicago in a two- or three-bedroom apartment or house, plus all the citizenship paperwork for the newborn. Women spend two months in the US before delivery and one month postpartum. Nannies, drivers and a chef will be shared among three women, promises Jia Mei. Of course, Chinese-speaking doctors will be on call.
Last month, Jia Mei, which has been in business for seven years, helped eight clients give birth in the US and another six in Canada, according to an employee surnamed Lu. The agency s extensive website features pictures of cheerful blond kids though it s not clear how the average Chinese couple will produce such a child. A 24-hour online hotline allows clients in the US or China to write in with any question they might have. The agency even offers a primer on how the US welfare system works and recommends the best organic beauty products for pregnant Chinese staying in the States.
Jiang and his wife, the Shanghai couple, didn t use an agency. An English-speaking sales manager, his wife simply procured a business visa to the US something she had successfully done before and set up camp in Rowland Heights, Calif. The L.A. County community, among others, has become notorious for a proliferation of maternity hotels for privileged expectant mothers from China. Jiang s wife has hired a nanny for her son and expects to return to Shanghai with the newborn in a month s time, after the US passport paperwork is completed.
China doesn t allow for dual citizenship, so American-born babies will have to procure Chinese residency through sometimes shady means. There are other catches. Eventually, young Americans, even those living abroad, are supposed to file tax returns and possibly pay taxes, something that s not widely known among many Chinese parents. Jia Mei s website, for instance, doesn t mention this potential financial obligation.
Jiang, 31, doesn t expect his son to return to America until he s in junior high school and can profit from the relative freedom of the US education system. But his wife has so enjoyed her time in California that she s considering adjusting their timetable. My wife thinks the air in L.A. is very good, and the food safety is good, he says. The weird thing is that many products are actually cheaper in America than in China. Maybe it makes sense for my son to live there sooner rather than later.
With reporting by Chengcheng Jiang / Beijing
為了讓孩子擁有美國國籍，每年有數以千計的中國準媽媽選擇在美國接生，這樣一來，生育旅游產業應運而生并且發展迅速。
姜文君正準備趕赴美國。他即將臨盆的妻子已經在那里等候他了。和其他準父母一樣，這對上海夫婦也在犯愁，如何才能給他們第一個孩子提供最好的降生和成長環境。他們認為，美國國籍是他們能夠給予子女的最好的禮物。 美國是世界上最強大的國家， 姜先生說，他到達加州后沒幾天兒子便出生了， 我想要我的孩子有最好的未來。
美國是少數幾個在本土出生便擁有該國國籍的國家之一。正是由于這一政策，生育旅游產業應運而生，為了讓孩子一出生就擁有美國國籍，他國孕婦紛紛奔向美國醫院，即使這些媽媽們自己拿不到美國國籍，等子女一旦成長到21歲，理論上也可支持父母申請美國國籍。美國產子的另一個好處是，這些美國出生的孩子能享受美國的教育，而且，公立大學只對本州學生收取非常少的學費。(加利福尼亞州由于其享譽全球的大學教育系統而成為生育旅游的圣地。)
現在，比以往任何時期都多的中國富人選擇把家庭以及財產安頓到國外。一項針對中國富翁的調查顯示，其中有一半要么已經移民，要么正正有此意。波士頓咨詢公司(BCG)估計，中國人約有4500億美金的海外儲蓄。是什么導致資產的大量外流呢?很多富人擔憂國內的反貪污運動會波及到自己的灰色收入。其他的一些是擔心國內空氣，水以及食物污染會給孩子的健康成長帶來危害。另外，中國高壓鍋式的教育環境使在國外求學變得更有吸引力。而且，即使中國的獨生子女制度已經不那么嚴苛，很多夫妻仍認為到國外生子是規避與計劃生育官僚糾纏的更簡單的方式。
所有這些導致了所謂 錨孩子 的數量激增。據一家專門監控評估在美月子中心的網絡平臺估計，去年一年在美國出生的中國嬰兒達到一萬名，這些月子中心專為中國孕婦在美產子開設，自然而然，這一服務于能拿到美國護照的小嬰兒的生意不斷壯大。加美生子咨詢服務中心就是這樣一家機構，其分支遍布中國各地，服務費高達3-4萬美金。這一費用包括一張機票，在洛杉磯或是芝加哥的兩或三居的住所，以及所有用于新生兒落戶的文件。孕婦可從臨盆前兩個月住到產后一個月。該機構承諾，三個孕婦可共用保姆，司機以及廚師，而且有說中文的醫生隨時等待接診。
據一位姓陸的員工所講，上個月，這家從事此行業已有七年的機構已成功幫助八名孕婦在美產子，六名在加產子。該機構網站上布滿了可愛的黃頭發寶寶的圖片 盡管搞不明白中國夫妻怎么能生出黃頭發寶寶。24小時在線熱線服務可及時解答在美或在中客戶提出的問題。該機構甚至還為在美的中國孕婦提供介紹美國福利系統的讀本以及向他們推薦最棒的有機美容產品。
姜先生和她妻子并不是通過機構去的美國。他妻子是一名銷售經理，會說英語，她僅拿了商務簽證去的美國 她曾經這樣做過 并在加州的羅蘭崗安營扎寨。洛杉磯縣社區是出了名的能為中國待產孕婦提供 月子賓館 的地方。姜為妻子雇了個保姆，并期待一個月內在嬰兒所有美國護照手續完成后就帶著新生兒回上海。
中國不允許雙重國籍，因此這些美國出生的寶寶就不得不采取不正當手段獲取中國國籍。(當然，許多機構都可提供此服務。)此外還有其他的束縛，這些小美國人即便不生活在美國，也要納稅并且申報納稅，但很多中國家長并不清楚這一點。加美的網站上也沒提及這種潛在的經濟負擔。
姜今年31歲，他希望等到兒子上初中時再回美國，到時候享受美國相對自由的教育。然而他妻子非常喜歡加州的生活，并考慮更改此前的計劃。 我妻子認為洛杉磯的空氣質量非常好，食品安全也讓人滿意， 他說， 而且非常奇怪，許多商品都比國內便宜。也許應該讓我兒子盡早在美國定居。