China announces end to International Adoption Program
China introduced the one-child policy to combat overpopulation in the 1980s, which resulted in an increase in children going to state orphanages. This opened the door for international adoptions.
But last Thursday, China officially announced the end of its international adoption program, a system that had facilitated the adoption of Chinese children by families in the U.S. and other countries since the 1990s.
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| Photo by Angela Roma |
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the decision at a daily press briefing. She explained that international adoptions would no longer be allowed except for cases involving blood relatives or stepchildren but offered no further details. Mao said the move aligns with international conventions.
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In response, the U.S. sought clarification regarding how the decision would impact American families with pending adoption applications. Beijing clarified that no further cases would be processed, except in cases covered by the exceptions.
The U.S. State Department highlighted its sympathy for the families affected, acknowledging that hundreds of cases are still incomplete. The U.S. embassy in Beijing is actively seeking written clarification from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs according to the reports.
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| Photo by jacquemay dominique |
The U.S. has been the largest recipient of Chinese adoptees with over 80,000 children being adopted by American families. However, international adoptions from China had been declining for several years, a trend increased by the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the process was largely halted.
A recent report from the U.S. State Department revealed that from October 2022 to September 2023, only 16 visas were issued for adoptions from China, marking the first such visas in over two years. The status of additional visa issuances remains unclear.
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In recent years, China’s adoption policies have changed due to other concerns. The former one-child policy, which was meant to control population growth, has now been replaced by concerns over a rapidly falling birth rate.
With this shift, Beijing has tightened its regulations on international adoptions, concerning that some children adopted internationally may have been wrongfully taken from their biological parents.
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China is not alone in tightening regulations. The Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway have all recently taken steps to restrict or halt international adoptions, citing concerns about unethical practices such as child trafficking or fabricated documentation.
China’s international adoption program formally began in 1992 and grew significantly in the following decades. U.S. adoptions of Chinese children peaked in 2005, with over 7,900 adoptions recorded that year.
However, in 2006 a baby trafficking ring in Hunan province exposured, where traffickers were selling babies to orphanages that were involved in international adoptions. In response to this scandal, China implemented stricter rules on international adoptions and punished those responsible for the illegal activities.
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