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Haotian Bai, a former fellow of Stanford’s Hoover Institution, founded a surrogacy company geared towards providing U.S. citizenship to the children of Chinese elites and organized a Chinese internship program lawmakers believe was connected to espionage.
Bai is the founder of Patriot Conceptions. His company was used by wealthy Chinese elites to implant their embryos into American women so their children could be born as U.S. citizens, according to a New York Post investigation.
In a now-deleted article published on the Hoover Institution's website, Bai falsely described Patriot Conceptions as an advocacy and resource hub for military families struggling with fertility. The article failed to mention any specific services the firm provided. Instead, Bai wrote that Patriot Conceptions offered links and identified resources for military families seeking surrogacy.
Later in 2025, Bai stated that 40% of Patriot Conceptions' clients were “international”, and a New York Post investigation found that “the company’s promotional materials suggest those international clients are almost entirely from China.”
Last week, a surrogate identified as “Judy” came forward when she discovered she was carrying the child of reclusive Chinese billionaire Xu Bo, who has allegedly sired as many as 300 children, all of whom gained U.S. citizenship via U.S. based surrogacy.
The Hoover Institution’s now-deleted description of Bai read:
“Patriot Conceptions, Bai’s first venture, has dramatically transformed the third-party reproduction industry. It offers a comprehensive platform that facilitates connections between intended parents and surrogates and egg donors. Under Bai’s leadership, the company has developed a national network offering specialized services, significantly aiding hundreds of families in realizing their dreams of parenthood. A distinctive aspect of Patriot Conceptions is its commitment to military families, providing special discounts to service members and veterans, reflecting Bai’s continuous dedication to supporting his fellow servicemen and -women…Through these initiatives, Bai exemplifies a unique blend of patriotism, hard work, and technological insight, making significant impacts in each sector he touches.”
Recently, Hoover released a statement retracting their former stance:
“Haotian Bai's Veteran Fellow status ended at the Institution in October of 2025 after completing his non-resident, one-year fellowship where he focused on U.S. Veteran access to IVF through TRICARE. He is no longer affiliated with the Hoover Institution. In light of recent media reports, it is clear that Mr. Bai misled the Institution on the nature of his businesses. A full internal review of the application process to the Veteran Fellowship Program will be conducted by institutional leadership, and necessary changes will be implemented immediately.”
This is not Bai’s first controversy. In 2018, Bai, acting as a “Hawaiian realtor,” was hired by Chinese firms to help organize a special internship program for Chinese students within the Hawaiian state legislature.
In interviews conducted by the New York Post, Hawaii House of Representatives member Matthew LoPresti stated that at the time his office was working very closely with Hawaii’s missile defense program and with the FBI on counterintelligence, Bai’s interns started to appear. Confused and concerned by their sudden arrival, he reported the situation to the FBI.
The internship program was ultimately shut down due to concerns about foreign espionage and mistreatment of interns. Bai faced no charges.
Further investigation by the Review found that the internship program was organized by the company Huanmei Yide (Beijing) International Education Technology Co., Ltd, which was founded by Li Chenqi, a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) official and People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldier. Li served in the PLA’s Strategic Support Force during the duration of the internships.
Six years after the program was shut down, the Hoover Institution invited Bai to join its Veteran Fellowship Program.
Bai’s firm highlights increasing concerns that surrogacy could be abused by the CCP to use its citizens' U.S. citizenship for covert activities in the United States.
Bai’s connections to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), together with prior concerns about his activities potentially facilitating Chinese espionage, underscore the need for both Hoover and Stanford to strengthen their monitoring of potential threats posed by Chinese state actors. It remains unclear who in the Hoover institution invited Bai, and whether necessary precautions were taken to investigate his background.
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