China Vows Crackdown as Child Trafficking Helps Drive Birth Certificate Sales

China’s top health regulator has vowed to crack down on the buying, selling and forging of birth certificates after reports surfaced alleging that a number of hospitals nationwide were participating in the illegal activity, which could be used to conceal the true identities of trafficked and surrogate children.

The National Health Commission (NHC) has sent supervisory teams to provinces including Hubei, Guangdong and Guangxi to “urge and guide local governments to thoroughly investigate” the illegal sale of birth certificates and “hold those responsible accountable,” according to a statement published on Nov. 17. It will also carry out special inspections on the standardized management of birth certificates across the country, said the statement.