BEIJING: China will no longer allow foreigners to adopt its children, the Chinese government said on Thursday (Sep 5).
The only exception will be for blood relatives adopting a child or a stepchild, said foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
“The Chinese government has adjusted its intercountry adoption policy.
“Henceforth, except for the adoption of children and stepchildren from collateral relatives by the blood of the same generation or within three generations by foreigners coming to China, China will not send children abroad for adoption,” she said.
The spokesperson did not explain the decision other than to say that it was “in line with the spirit of relevant international conventions”.
“We express our gratitude to foreign governments and families who wish to adopt Chinese children for love and kindness,” she added.
Many foreigners have adopted children from China over the decades, visiting the country to pick them up and then bringing them to a new home overseas.
China suspended international adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government later resumed adoptions for children who had received travel authorisation before the suspension in 2020, the US State Department said in its latest annual report on adoptions.
A US consulate issued 16 visas for adoptions from China in the 12 months from October 2022 through September 2023, the first in more than two years, the State Department report said.
It was not clear if any more visas had been issued since then.
