China ends most foreign adoptions of its children, leaving hundreds of American and other families in limbo

Hong Kong () – China is ending most foreign adoptions of its children, leaving hundreds of American and other families with pending applications in limbo.

Since the early 1990s, China has sent tens of thousands of adopted children abroad, half of whom came to the United States, as its draconian one-child policy forced many families to abandon their children, especially to girls and babies with disabilities.

But in recent decades, with China’s economy booming and births slowing, the number of international adoptions of Chinese children has declined. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, they have largely been on hold.

Now, the Chinese government is officially ending the program, in line with global trends, but also at a time when authorities are trying to reverse the country’s sharp decline in birth rates and avoid an imminent demographic crisis.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that no more Chinese children will be sent abroad for adoption. The only exceptions will be foreigners who adopt children or stepchildren of blood relatives in China.

“This is in line with the spirit of relevant international conventions,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing. “We appreciate the desire and love of the governments and adoptive families of relevant countries to adopt Chinese children.”

The ban increases uncertainty for hundreds of American families who are currently in the process of adopting children from China.

The US Embassy in Beijing is seeking written clarification from the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs about the new directive, the State Department said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

In a phone call with U.S. diplomats in China, Beijing said it “will not continue to pursue cases at any stage” that are not covered by an exception clause, the AP reported.

“We understand that there are hundreds of families still waiting to complete their adoption, and we sympathize with their situation,” the US State Department said.

More than 160,000 Chinese children have been adopted by families around the world since China officially opened its doors to international adoption in 1992, according to China’s Children International, an international organization created by and for Chinese adoptees. About half of these children have been adopted in the United States.

Between 1999 and 2023, American parents adopted 82,674 children from China, accounting for 29% of all American adoptions abroad, according to data from the US State Department.

China suspended international adoptions in 2020 during the pandemic to “ensure the health and safety” of children, according to a US State Department advisory on international adoptions from China at the time.

In 2021 and 2022, no Chinese children were sent for adoption to the United States. Last year, 16 children were adopted from China, according to the US State Department.

Beijing scrapped its decades-long controversial one-child policy after realizing the restriction had contributed to a rapidly aging population and shrinking workforce, which could seriously affect economic stability. and social of the country.

To stop the decline in the birth rate, the Chinese government announced in 2015 that it would allow married couples to have two children. But after a brief rebound in 2016, the national birth rate has continued to decline.

The authorities further relaxed the limits on birth rate in 2021, allowing three children, and stepped up efforts to encourage larger families, including strengthening maternity leave and offering tax deductions and other benefits to families.

But these efforts have yet to bear fruit in a context of changing gender norms, high costs of living and education, and economic uncertainty.

Correction: An earlier version of this report incorrectly stated the proportion of Chinese adoptees in the United States. Chinese children accounted for 29% of all American adoptions abroad between 1999 and 2023.