阅读理解

　　While everyone knows that NBA center Yao Ming will become a father this summer, the big buzz(流言)in China is about whether the baby will be an American．

　　The Shanghai native'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 2.25-meter star, sidelined this season with a broken left foot, recently returned to the USA with Ye, encouraging speculation that the baby will be born there．

　　Yao's baby would automatically be an American citizen if born in the US．

　　However, Chinese law does not recognize double citizenship．

　　A few say it would be a betrayal of China and that the Chinese team could be denied a future basketball star．

　　But most support Yao and don't care which country claims the baby．

　　“Yao Ming is individual, not a political tool,”said one comment on popular basketball Website Hoop China．

　　“He has the right to choose where his child is born and what kind of medical care and education will be available to her．His child's citizenship has nothing to do with loyalty．”

　　Yao and his camp have been tight-lipped on the pregnancy(怀孕)and have not issued any public statements on the matter．

　　It is not clear if Yao and his wife are indeed planning to have the baby in the US or how they will handle any citizenship issues．

　　Yao's spokesman Zhang Mingji refused to make notes on the baby, saying it was a private matter．

　　Many Chinese famous persons-including actress Gong Li and director Chen Kaige-have in recent years been criticized for becoming naturalized citizens of other countries．

　　Chinese are subject to strict visa requirements and some of the famous persons argued it was easier to travel internationally with passports from countries like Singapore or the US．