China’s halt of foreign adoptions leaves questions about pending cases

BEIJING —  The Chinese government is ending its inter-country adoption program, and the U.S. is seeking clarification on how that will affect hundreds of American families with pending applications.

In a phone call with U.S. diplomats in China, Beijing said it “will not continue to process cases at any stage” other than those cases covered by an exception clause. The U.S. Embassy is seeking clarification in writing from China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, the State Department said Thursday.

“We understand there are hundreds of families still pending completion of their adoption, and we sympathize with their situation,” the State Department said.

Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, announced Thursday that the country is no longer allowing foreign adoptions of Chinese children, with an exception for relatives to adopt a child or a stepchild.

She didn’t explain the decision other than to say that it was in line with the spirit of relevant international conventions.

Many foreigners have adopted children from China over the decades, visiting the country to pick them up and bring them to a new home overseas. U.S. families have adopted 82,674 children from China, the most from any foreign country.

In January, Denmark’s only overseas adoption agency said it was winding down operations after concerns were raised about fabricated documents and procedures, and Norway’s top regulatory body recommended stopping overseas adoptions for two years pending an investigation into several cases.

Beijing’s announcement comes amid falling birth rates in the country. The number of newborn babies in China fell to 9.02 million in 2023, and its overall population declined for the second consecutive year.