U.S. families have adopted more kids from China than from any other foreign country. Now Chinese officials have declared the end of their intercountry adoption program. This leaves some families with big questions.
On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning made the announcement. As of now, only blood relatives may adopt children out of China.
Adoption is a long, complicated process. Adopting from China can take two years or more. Many U.S. families are currently in that process. What does China’s announcement mean for them? That remains unclear. Beijing officials say China “will not continue to process cases at any stage.”
U.S. diplomats in China are seeking clarification. “We understand there are hundreds of families still pending completion of their adoption, and we sympathize with their situation,” say U.S. State Department officials.
Several U.S. families in the adoption process told The New York Times that the news was devastating. They had already bought clothes and prepared their homes for the children with whom they were matched.
It’s unclear what prompted China’s change in policy. China suspended international adoptions once before. That was during the coronavirus pandemic. But why now?
There are a few possible reasons. Tensions have risen between China and other nations. Nearby Japan has increased its military budget in response. China harasses ships from the Philippines in the South China Sea. Relations between China and the United States have also grown fraught.
In past decades, Chinese leaders were concerned about overpopulation. They limited the number of children allowed per family. That created a surge of abandoned children, mostly girls, in need of adoption. In total, U.S. families have adopted 82,674 children from China. Families in other countries took in at least 68,000 others.
But now China faces falling population numbers. In 2023, China reported its first population decline in decades. The trend has continued into 2024. Experts say the number may have been shrinking unnoticed since 2018. Is the halt on adoptions meant to slow that drop?
When we become Christians, God adopts us into His family. We become members of His kingdom. When earthly parents adopt children, it’s a reflection of that beautiful truth. Pray that God would provide loving homes for Chinese children in need of adoption. Pray also for those parents who had given their hearts in expectation of growing their families by way of adopting Chinese children.
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. — 1 John 3:1
