The Smartest Investors Club
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Investing
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Investing
  • World

The Smartest Investors Club

World

China is ending foreign adoptions of its children. That leaves hundreds of American families in limbo

by September 6, 2024
September 6, 2024
China is ending foreign adoptions of its children. That leaves hundreds of American families in limbo

China is ending most foreign adoptions of its children, leaving hundreds of American and other foreign families with pending applications in limbo.

Since the early 1990s, China has sent tens of thousands of adoptees overseas – with about half arriving in the United States – as its draconian one-child policy forced many families to abandon children, especially girls and babies with disabilities.

But in recent decades, as China’s economy boomed and births slowed, international adoptions of Chinese children have declined in number. Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, they have largely been on hold.

Now the Chinese government is officially ending the program – which it said is in line with global trends, but also comes as officials try to reverse the country’s sharply declining birthrates and avert a looming demographic crisis.

China’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that no more Chinese children would be sent abroad for adoption. The only exceptions will be for foreigners adopting the children or stepchildren of blood relatives in China.

“This is in line with the spirit of relevant international conventions,” the ministry’s spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular news conference. “We are grateful for the desire and love of the governments and adoptive families of relevant countries to adopt Chinese children.”

The ban raises uncertainty for hundreds of American families currently in the process of adopting children from China.

The US embassy in Beijing is seeking clarification in writing from China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs on the new directive, the State Department said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

In a phone call with US diplomats in China, Beijing said it “will not continue to process cases at any stage” other than those covered by an exception clause, AP reported.

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

More than 160,000 Chinese children have been adopted into families all over the world since China officially opened its doors to international adoption in 1992, according to China’s Children International, an international organization created by and for Chinese adoptees. About half of these children have been adopted to the US.

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

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

No Chinese children were sent to the US for adoption in 2021 or 2022. Last year, 16 children were adopted from China, according to the US State Department.

Beijing scrapped its decades-long and highly controversial “one child” policy after realizing the restriction had contributed to a rapidly aging population and shrinking workforce that could severely distress the country’s economic and social stability.

To arrest the falling birth rate, the Chinese government announced in 2015 that it would allow married couples to have two children. But after a brief uptick in 2016, the national birth rate has continued to fall.

Policymakers further relaxed limits on births in 2021, allowing three children, and ramped up efforts to encourage larger families, including strengthening maternity leave and offering tax deductions and other perks to families.

But those efforts have yet to see results amid changing gender norms, the high cost of living and education, and looming economic uncertainty.

This post appeared first on cnn.com
0
FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest
previous post
Yvonne Blaszczyk: Gold, Silver — Last Call to Invest Before Prices Go Higher
next post
Early voting means ‘election season’ has already kicked off

You may also like

Hurricane Lee on track to swipe parts of...

Shangri-La: As generals made small talk and polite...

North Korea expands weapons plant that makes missiles...

German President asks for forgiveness in Tanzania for...

‘The school is like a light for me:’...

Taliban raids and suspends Afghanistan’s only women’s radio...

Ukraine’s energy supply faces ‘sternest test yet’ as...

Fifteen killed in Israeli strikes on Damascus, Syrian...

Ukraine says Russia launched deadly aerial barrage as...

India’s election campaign turns negative as Modi and...

    Get free access to all of the retirement secrets and income strategies from our experts! or Join The Exclusive Subscription Today And Get the Premium Articles Acess for Free


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Latest

    • RETRANSMISSION: Group Eleven to be Featured on Radius Research for a Live...

    • Chief Justice Roberts doubles down on defense of courts as SCOTUS gears up to hear key Trump cases

    • Trump touts ‘rebuilding and modernization’ of US air traffic control, blasts Buttigieg for having ‘no clue’

    • Trump pulls his nomination for DC US attorney, says he’ll reveal new pick soon

    • Robert Prevost elected as first American pope and takes the name Leo XIV

    Categories

    • Business (1,631)
    • Investing (4,786)
    • Politics (7,529)
    • World (6,123)
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • About us

    Disclaimer: thesmartestinvestorsclub.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.

    Copyright © 2024 thesmartestinvestorsclub.com | All Rights Reserved


    Back To Top