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China

Chinese Single Women Flock To U.S. To Freeze Their Eggs

In China, the state runs all fertility treatment.
In China, the state runs all fertility treatment.

BEIJING — For rich and single Chinese women who want it all, America is there to help.

The Beijing-based website Tencent Finance reports that U.S. fertility clinics are increasingly catering to single Chinese women who want to have a child on their own. Annie Liu, a successful high-end real estate dealer in New York, saw a new business opportunity that could cater to some of her clients — and founded Global Fertility Genetics (GFG), a clinic specialized in assisted-fertility services for visiting Chinese women.

"My years of contact with Chinese customers allowed me to understand that cross-border healthcare has tremendous potential," Liu said, speaking to Tencent Finance from her Manhattan clinic. "In particular, I saw egg freezing and in vitro fertilization (IVF) as a big market opportunity for high-end clients because these services are strictly controlled in China."

In China, birth control and fertility treatment are in the hands of the authorities, even after the government loosened the notorious "One-Child policy" over a year ago. Reproductive technologies are also forbidden to single women.

One single woman, who works in finance, recently wrote anonymously to a local newspaper. "I froze my eggs two years ago in California when I was 32, through an introduction of a college friend there. After that, several of my friends have followed suit," she wrote.

The woman pointed out that over the past two years, the situation for women who resort to reproductive services has improved. There are now even fertility preparation centers in China which link with American clinics. Though single mothers are still badly regarded in Chinese society, certain women say they do not want to forego having a child just because they aren't married. "I froze my eggs last year," a female real estate executive told Tencent Finance. "And now I am looking through the sperm bank for a suitable American candidate so I can have my baby."

As Tencent Finance reports, egg freezing is an emerging business in many parts of the world. For a Chinese woman who undergoes an egg-freezing cycle in America, the costs are estimated to be around $20,000, which covers all consultations, monitoring, medications and egg freezing.

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FOCUS: Israel-Palestine War

Why The U.S. Lost Its Leverage In The Middle East — And May Never Get It Back

In the Israel-Hamas war, Qatar now plays the key role in negotiations, while the United States appears increasingly disengaged. Shifts in the region and beyond require that Washington move quickly or risk ceding influence to China and others for the long term.

Photograph of U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken  shaking hands with sraeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

November 30, 2023, Tel Aviv, Israel: U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Chuck Kennedy/U.S State/ZUMA
Sébastien Boussois

-Analysis-

PARIS — Upon assuming office in 2008, then-President Barack Obama declared that United States would gradually begin withdrawing from various conflict zones across the globe, initiating a complex process that has had a major impact on the international landscape ever since.

This started with the American departure from Iraq in 2010, and was followed by Donald Trump's presidency, during which the "Make America Great Again" policy redirected attention to America's domestic interests.

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The withdrawal trend resumed under Joe Biden, who ordered the exit of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021. To maintain a foothold in all intricate regions to the east, America requires secure and stable partnerships. The recent struggle in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict demonstrates that Washington increasingly relies on the allied Gulf states for any enduring influence.

Since the collapse of the Camp David Accords in 1999 during Bill Clinton's tenure, Washington has consistently supported Israel without pursuing renewed peace talks that could have led to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

While President Joe Biden's recent challenges in pushing for a Gaza ceasefire met with resistance from an unyielding Benjamin Netanyahu, they also stem from the United States' overall disengagement from the issue over the past two decades. Biden now is seeking to re-engage in the Israel-Palestine matter, yet it is Qatar that is the primary broker for significant negotiations such as the release of hostages in exchange for a ceasefire —a situation the United States lacks the leverage to enforce.

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