回复：一个有关儿童申请中国旅行证的问题

My consulate told me that CURRENT rule is either the kid goes there in person, or the parent take the kid's US passport. The point it, the consulate officer must "see" the kid in person, but they consider "seeing the kid's passport" the same as "seeing the kid in person".
Still, it's best to ask your consulate. Sometime their rules get fuzzy...