South China Morning Post | July 11, 2026
Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia have all banned compensated surrogacy for foreign intended parents in response to exploitation in the industry. As a result of the bans, intended parents from China–where domestic surrogacy is not allowed–are seeking surrogacy arrangements in countries such as Georgia and Armenia–where surrogacy remains legal–or in underground networks that span several countries to evade authorities. China does grant citizenship to children born via surrogacy in other countries – an important factor that maintains demand within the “shadow economy” of surrogacy in Asia. Based on concerns about the inability of the existing ban to address exploitation in Thailand, Thai officials are considering policy reforms.