China Halts Foreign Adoptions, Citing International Conventions

The Chinese government has decided to halt foreign adoptions, limiting them strictly to blood relatives and stepchildren. This policy change aligns with international conventions, though specific reasons were not provided. The halt follows a suspension during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent concerns in other countries regarding adoption practices.

The Chinese government has announced a halt to foreign adoptions of its children, with exceptions only for blood relatives or stepchildren, according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the decision aligns with the spirit of relevant international conventions, though she did not elaborate further on the reasons behind the policy change.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, China had suspended international adoptions, and later resumed them only for children with prior travel authorizations. Recently, a US consulate issued 16 adoption visas from China, the first in over two years. Recent reports of fabricated documents and procedural concerns in countries like Denmark and Norway may have also influenced the new policy.

(With inputs from agencies.)