They began in 1992, at the height of the “one-child policy”, and in more than thirty years more than 160,000 children, mainly girls, have been taken in by families around the world. The spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this was an “adaptation to international trends”. Last year only 9 million children were born in China, even though today – unlike before – the authorities are calling for more children.
Beijing (/Agencies) – China will no longer send children abroad for international adoption. The government’s announcement cancels a series of agreements that began in 1992 – when Beijing was still in full swing with its one-child policy – and in more than thirty years more than 160,000 Chinese children were adopted by families around the world, half of them in the United States according to data from China’s Children International.
In response to a question about a notification to this effect received by the US State Department, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the Chinese government had “adjusted” its adoption policy to be “in line” with international trends. She explained that, except for some cases involving up to third-degree relationships with people living outside the country, “China will no longer send children abroad for adoption.” “We express our gratitude to foreign governments and families who wish to adopt Chinese children for their good intentions and the love and kindness they have shown,” she added.
The rule change comes as Chinese politicians struggle to encourage young couples to marry and have children amid a growing demographic crisis. China has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and is trying to encourage young women to have children, but so far with little success. In 2023, new births in the People’s Republic fell by 5.7% to 9.02 million, and the birth rate hit a record low of 6.39 births per 1,000 people, compared with 6.77 births in 2022. Overall, the population decreased by 2.08 million, or 0.15%, to 1.409 million in 2023, far exceeding the population decline of 850,000 in 2022, which was the first since 1961 during the Great Famine of the Mao Zedong era.
Between 1979 and 2015, China implemented a strict one-child policy to reduce its population. When families were limited to having just one child, many opted to keep the boys and give the girls up for adoption.
The “international trends” referred to by the Beijing Foreign Ministry spokeswoman refer to the decision taken in May by the Netherlands to ban its citizens from adopting children from foreign countries. In Denmark, too, citizens will no longer be able to adopt children from abroad, as the only local specialised agency has announced that it has decided to suspend its activities.
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