Yao Ming's Baby Stirs Chinese-U.S. Debate

(AP)  NBA center Yao Ming is going to be a father this summer — and fans in China are buzzing about whether the baby will be an American.

Yao's personal life is closely followed by his many fans at home, from his 2007 Shanghai wedding to fellow basketball player Ye Li to last month's reports the couple is expecting a baby girl in July.

The 7-foot-6 center, sidelined this season with a broken left foot, recently returned to the United States with Ye, igniting speculation the baby will be born there.

Yao's baby would automatically be an American citizen if born in the U.S. She also could claim Chinese citizenship as the child of Chinese nationals. However, Chinese law does not recognize dual citizenship.

A few say it would be a betrayal of China, not to mention the China team could be denied a future basketball star. But most say they support Yao and don't care which country claims the baby.

"Yao Ming is an individual, not a political tool," said one comment on popular basketball Web site Hoop China. "He has the right to choose where his child is born and what kinds of medical care and education will be available to her. His child's citizenship has nothing to do with loyalty."

"Only an idiot would pass up American citizenship," said another fan on online portal sina.com, underscoring the common belief in China that life overseas is preferable.

Yao and his camp have been tightlipped on the pregnancy and have not issued any public statements on the matter. It was not clear if Yao and his wife were indeed planning to have the baby in the U.S. or how they would handle any citizenship issues.

Yao spokesman Zhang Mingji declined to comment on the baby, saying it was a private matter. He said Yao was still recovering from his injury and was returning to the U.S. to continue treatment.

A number of Chinese celebrities — including actor Jet Li, actress Gong Li, director Chen Kaige — have in recent years been criticized for becoming naturalized citizens of other countries. Chinese are subject to stringent visa requirements and some of the celebrities argued it was easier to travel internationally with passports from countries like Singapore or the U.S.

Baby Yao has captured the imagination of fans in China, who wonder what her basketball skills will be like, with a superstar father and 6-foot-2 mother who is a former center for China. Scientists have predicted the girl will grow up to be about 6-foot-2, state media has reported.