Chinese Government Prohibits International Adoption of Chinese Children
Beijing has announced that it will no longer allow Chinese children to be adopted by foreign families, with only a limited exception remaining for the adoption of blood relatives within three generations of foreigners coming to China.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officially declared the end of its three-decade transnational adoption policy on Sept. 5. This decision has left many American families currently in the process of adopting a child from China in limbo.
In response to inquiries from U.S. diplomats about the new ban, Beijing stated that it will not process any adoption cases that do not fall under the specified exception criteria.
The U.S. State Department has sought written clarification from the CCP’s Ministry of Civil Affairs regarding the new rule. The State Department expressed sympathy for the hundreds of families whose adoption processes are now uncertain.
The CCP’s previous one-child policy, in effect from 1979 to 2015, led to the abandonment of many baby girls and infants with birth defects. Since 1988, China has allowed international adoptions, primarily by American families, with a significant increase in adoptions over the years.
Moving forward, the Chinese government plans to halt all international adoptions for Chinese children, citing concerns about the influence of Western adoption practices on Chinese orphans and the nationalistic views of the regime.
Luo Ya and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
