HONG KONG, Sept 06 (Alliance News): China has announced the end of most foreign adoptions of its children, leaving hundreds of American and international families with pending applications uncertain about their future.
Since the 1990s, China has sent thousands of children abroad for adoption, with about half of them going to the United States.
However, the government has now officially ended the program as part of its efforts to combat declining birthrates and a looming demographic crisis.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that foreign adoptions would cease, except for cases involving stepchildren or children of blood relatives.
“We are grateful for the desire and love of the governments and adoptive families of relevant countries to adopt Chinese children,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
The announcement affects hundreds of American families in the process of adopting from China.
The US embassy in Beijing is seeking clarification, as the Chinese government has stated that it will not process adoption cases at any stage, except under specific circumstances.
Since China opened international adoptions in 1992, over 160,000 children have been adopted worldwide, with more than half going to the US.
China suspended international adoptions in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The decision to officially end most foreign adoptions comes amid China’s broader efforts to reverse its declining birthrate, following the relaxation of its one-child policy in recent years.
Despite efforts to promote larger families, birth rates continue to fall, contributing to the country’s demographic challenges.
