Recently, the Chinese Communist authorities have adjusted their cross-border adoption policy that has been in place for over thirty years. Apart from allowing foreigners to adopt children within three generations of extended family lineage and stepchildren in China, they will no longer send children to foreign countries for adoption. Experts believe that Chinese orphans who have been internationally adopted have thrived and grown positively, which has left the top Chinese leadership feeling uneasy. This policy adjustment is seen as a manifestation of nationalist sentiment and a sign of weakness by the regime.
On September 5th, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that as of August 28, 2024, the authorities have officially halted their international adoption program. Going forward, children without blood relations cannot be adopted by foreigners in China.
This means that non-relatives cannot adopt Chinese children anymore.
Since 1979, the Chinese Communist Party implemented the “one-child policy,” enforcing family planning and leading to a significant number of abandoned baby girls. Some of these abandoned infants were taken in by orphanages across the country.
Starting in 1988, China gradually relaxed its policies on foreign adoption, allowing foreigners to adopt Chinese children. The number of foreign adoptions increased significantly year by year, with the United States being the top adopter, albeit requiring a substantial fee to be paid to Chinese authorities.
In 2005, China officially became a signatory to the “Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.” According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, in that year, the number of international adoptions from China reached its peak, with over 13,000 children being adopted by foreign families, accounting for 25.49% of the total adoption rate.
In recent years, videos and posts circulating on social media often depict Chinese children being adopted by American families and living happy lives in the United States. These children, who are orphans themselves, some with congenital disabilities, have sparked discussions on their different circumstances in China and the U.S.
Associate Professor Zeng Jianyuan from the Department of Hakka Language, Literature, and Social Sciences at National Central University in Taiwan, expressed to Epoch Times that this adjustment in the international adoption policy is related to the nationalist agenda touted by Xi Jinping since taking office. Particularly in recent years, following the deterioration of U.S.-China relations amid the trade war, continuing the previous adoption policy could be seen as compromising China’s national pride by certain factions supporting or affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.
Zeng Jianyuan explained that some would criticize the CCP by questioning why foreign assistance through adoption is necessary if China’s social welfare system is adequate. Therefore, he believes that the primary reason for this policy change stems from the influence of nationalist sentiment.
As for the CCP’s change in adoption policy, some may link it to China’s demographic crisis.
Official statistics from the Chinese Communist authorities show a continuous decline in China’s population in 2022 and 2023, with a significant drop in annual births. And despite relaxing the one-child policy in recent years, the fertility rate remains low.
According to data released by the U.S. Embassy in China in July, 82,658 Chinese children have been adopted by American families in the 21st century, accounting for 29.2% of the total number of foreign children adopted by Americans, surpassing Russia (46,113 children) and Guatemala (29,807 children).
Zeng Jianyuan mentioned that while China’s population issue is indeed a reality with far-reaching implications for its economic development, it is not directly connected to the decision to cease international adoptions.
He pointed out that the Western approach to adoption, based on compassion rather than solely on the traditional concept of continuing the family line, may differ from Chinese perspectives on reproduction and nurturing.
He emphasized that leaving these children, who lack parental care, in China to be conditionally adopted by overseas Chinese individuals is also linked to a nationalist mentality.
The independent commentator Zhao Lanjian, who had worked in various mainland Chinese media outlets, believes that the CCP’s recent policy change reflects not a heightened sense of national pride but rather a sign of weakness underlying their fervent nationalism. He likened this move to the regime’s previous attempts, such as channeling national resources to excel in sports achievements, in a bid to project strength despite the stark realities faced by many Chinese citizens.
Zhao Lanjian stated that Chinese orphans have demonstrated positive growth after being internationally adopted, casting a shadow on the top Chinese leadership.
He highlighted that the success stories of Chinese children adopted internationally and their significant achievements, especially in sports, have brought international attention, putting China in an embarrassing position both socially and administratively.
On the internet, there have been speculations questioning the role of orphanages as potential sources of vital organs, a concern tied to the long-standing controversy surrounding China’s organ transplant industry. Zhao Lanjian refrained from directly addressing this weighty issue.
In an interview with the Epoch Times, Zhao Lanjian commented, “If abandoned babies are sent to social welfare institutions, they are required to bear the Party’s name from a young age and receive socialist education. If everything goes as planned in the future, the first ones to sign agreements for blood and organ donations will be the children at orphanages.”
In conclusion, the international adoption of Chinese orphans by Western families has not only brought about remarkable transformations in their lives but also shed light on contrasting systems of care and opportunity that exist between China and the West.