Chinese Birth Tourism Exploits US Citizenship, Raising Security Concerns

Podcasters expose how wealthy Chinese exploit America's birthright citizenship laws to gain US passports for their children.

Apr. 4, 2026 at 7:30pm

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Podcasters Matt Tye and Winston Sterzel have uncovered a massive Chinese birth tourism industry that is exploiting America's birthright citizenship laws. They reveal how wealthy Chinese, often with ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), are paying agencies to help them travel to the US on visitor visas, give birth, and then immediately return to China with their new US citizen children. This allows the CCP to potentially influence US elections and infiltrate American institutions in the future.

Why it matters

The birth tourism industry raises serious national security concerns, as it allows the CCP to potentially influence future US elections and infiltrate American institutions with citizens who were raised and indoctrinated in China rather than experiencing American values and freedoms. It also strains the US healthcare system, as the birth tourism agencies coach mothers on how to avoid paying hospital bills.

The details

The podcasters explain how the birth tourism industry works - wealthy Chinese parents pay agencies up to $80,000 to help them obtain visitor visas, travel to the US, give birth, and then quickly return to China with their new US citizen children. The agencies provide everything from fake travel itineraries to coaching on how to appear indigent to avoid paying hospital bills. Once back in China, the children are raised in the Chinese education system and indoctrinated with CCP propaganda, but still have the ability to vote in US elections or even run for office in the future.

  • In the last six years, the Chinese birth tourism industry has 'really blossomed and become a massive industry'.
  • By 2030, up to a million Chinese citizens with US birthright citizenship could be voting in US elections.

The players

Matt Tye

An American China expert and YouTuber who co-hosts The China Show podcast.

Winston Sterzel

A South African-born China expert and YouTuber who co-hosts The China Show podcast and has investigated the risks of Chinese birth tourism for years.

Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

The ruling political party of China, which is allegedly exploiting the US birthright citizenship system to gain political influence in the US.

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What they’re saying

“When they [pregnant Chinese women] fly here to do the birth tourism, they don't speak English. They're met by Chinese-speaking people, who take them to a house where they just do Chinese traditional stuff. They don't actually get to explore America or do anything. They're just here to give birth, and they fly straight back.”

— Winston Sterzel, Co-host, The China Show

“It's an actual, like, asymmetric goal of the CCP.”

— Matt Tye, Co-host, The China Show

“Especially if you're a wealthy person, who does bribery and so on. You need to get that money out.”

— Winston Sterzel, Co-host, The China Show

What’s next

The issue of birthright citizenship and the Chinese birth tourism industry is expected to be taken up by the US Supreme Court in the near future, as concerns over national security and the integrity of US elections continue to grow.

The takeaway

This case highlights the national security risks posed by the Chinese birth tourism industry, which is exploiting America's birthright citizenship laws to potentially influence future US elections and infiltrate American institutions with citizens who were raised and indoctrinated in China rather than experiencing American values and freedoms.