Couple Sell Their Infant Daughter For iPhone.

A young Chinese couple are facing criminal punishment for “selling” their
infant daughter and using the proceeds to buy an Apple iPhone, state media
said Friday.

Shanghai prosecutors have brought a case against them for human
trafficking after they illegally put their third child up for adoption online and
accepted money for the baby, the Liberation Daily reported.

Investigators found the mother, whose full name was not given, used the
money to buy an iPhone, high-end sports shoes and other goods, it said.
Apple’s products are wildly popular in China, where a teenager sold his
kidney and used the funds to buy an iPhone and iPad in an incident widely
reported last year.

But the couple told police that they wanted the girl to have a better
upbringing than they could afford, since they already had two children.

“Giving away the child was not for obtaining benefits, but giving the child
better guarantees,” one said.
Some Chinese, especially in rural areas, have a traditional preference for
sons though reports did not say if the child’s gender was also a factor in the
case.

Online commentary condemned the couple, though some used black humour
to describe modern Chinese society and the quest for wealth.

“So cold-blooded! These people do not deserve the right to be parents!” said
Wangzhan1969 in a microblog posting.
“This is good business — no capital, huge profit and no need to sell
kidneys,” said another posting.

An official of the prosecutor’s office handling the case expressed worry over
“sensationalism” surrounding the affair but declined to comment further to
AFP.

Shanghai police could not be reached for comment.
Reports did not give the amount the couple received for the child, but their
online postings asked for 30,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan ($4,900 and
$8,200).

Apple last month launched the iPhone 5s, including a gold-coloured model,
and the more budget-conscious iPhone 5c in China.