China ends foreign adoptions of its children. Hundreds of American families are left in limbo

Hong Kong
CNN
—

China is ending most international adoptions of its children, leaving pending applications from hundreds of American and other foreign families.

Since the early 1990s, China has sent tens of thousands of adopted children abroad—about half of whom ended up in the United States. The country's draconian one-child policy forced many families to abandon their children, especially girls and babies with disabilities.

But in recent decades, as China's economy boomed and birth rates declined, the number of international adoptions of Chinese children declined. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, these adoptions have largely been on hold.

Now the Chinese government is officially ending the program, saying it is in line with global trends, but it comes as officials seek to reverse the country's sharp decline in the birth rate and avert a looming demographic crisis.

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

“This is in line with the spirit of relevant international conventions,” ministry spokesman Mao Ning said at a regular press conference. “We are grateful for the desire and love of the governments and adoptive families of the countries concerned to adopt Chinese children.”

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

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing is asking the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs for written clarification on the new policy, the State Department said on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

In a phone call with U.S. diplomats in China, Beijing said it would not “further process any cases at any stage” except those covered by an exemption clause, AP reported.

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

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

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

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

No Chinese children were sent to the United States for adoption in 2021 and 2022. Last year, 16 children were adopted from China, according to the U.S. State Department.

Beijing abandoned its decades-long and highly controversial one-child policy after realizing that the restriction had contributed to a rapidly aging population and a shrinking workforce, which could seriously threaten the country's economic and social stability.

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 increase in 2016, the birth rate has continued to decline.

In 2021, policymakers further relaxed the birth limit, allowing three children, and stepped up efforts to encourage larger families, including by expanding maternity leave and providing tax breaks and other benefits for families.

But faced with changing gender norms, high living and education costs, and looming economic uncertainty, these efforts have so far failed to produce results.