A California surrogate learned in the middle of a custody fight that the man expecting her baby was a reclusive Chinese gaming billionaire whose own company admits he has fathered more than 100 children.
Story Snapshot
- A California judge denied parental rights to Chinese billionaire Xu Bo after he tried to claim four unborn babies born through surrogates.
- Xu’s video game company, Duoyi Network, says he has “a little over 100” children, though it claims only 12 were born through U.S. surrogacy.
- Xu told the judge by video from China that he wants about 20 U.S.-born children, mostly boys, to one day run his business.
- An ex-partner has claimed the real number is closer to 300, but no independent records back that figure up.
Court Case Uncovers Hidden Surrogacy Network
A Los Angeles-area family court found that Xu Bo was seeking parental rights to at least four unborn children while already fathering, or in the process of fathering, at least eight more through American surrogates. Reporting from The Wall Street Journal first surfaced the case, revealing that some of the children were being raised by nannies in homes in Irvine, California.
The case came to light because a California surrogate says she only discovered the identity of her baby’s intended father after seeing a television report about Xu. She had not been told the man behind the arrangement was a billionaire based in China.
Company Admits Large Numbers, Disputes the Details
After the Journal’s reporting spread, Duoyi Network, the gaming company Xu founded, put out a statement saying he has “a little over 100” children total. But the company insisted only 12 of them were born through surrogacy in the United States, far fewer than what many headlines suggested.
Xu’s company went further, accusing the Journal of distorting his words and spreading false information through a translation error. A separate statement attributed to Xu said he believes “more children bring more blessings” and wants his family strategy to help China’s long-term future.
Judge Rejects Billionaire’s Parental Claim
Judge Amy Pellman denied Xu’s request for legal parentage, a rare move in California’s largely unregulated surrogacy system. During the hearing, Xu appeared by video from China through an interpreter and told the court he hoped to have about 20 U.S.-born children, mostly boys, so they could eventually take over his business.
The scandal that the boss of Duoyi Network game company, Xu Bo,has hundreds of children has been spreading for decades in China.
In China’s edition, the parts of surrogacy and America was faded for some reason. https://t.co/nIzQSaN7PP
— Mango (@sweetmangomi) September 13, 2026
Claims that Xu fathered as many as 300 children trace back to a former partner, Tang Jing, but no birth records, court filings, or independent audits have confirmed that number. The gap between company statements, court findings, and outside allegations leaves the true count unresolved.
What the Case Reveals About U.S. Surrogacy Rules
Legal experts note that cross-border surrogacy often falls into gaps between countries with different rules. China bans domestic surrogacy outright, pushing wealthy citizens to use American clinics and agencies that face few federal restrictions. That mismatch makes it hard for courts, and the public, to track exactly who is having children, how many, and under what terms.
For many Americans already skeptical of unchecked wealth and weak oversight, the case lands as another example of rules bending for the ultra-rich. Whether the final count is 12, 100, or 300, the episode shows how little transparency exists once money, borders, and family courts intersect.
Sources:
nypost.com, wsj.com, thetimes.com, smobserved.com, washingtontimes.com
