The Chinese government has announced that it will no longer allow foreigners to adopt children from the country, with the exception being blood relatives adopting a child or a stepchild. This decision was confirmed by Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning, who stated that the move is in line with the spirit of relevant international conventions.
For many years, foreigners have traveled to China to adopt children, providing them with new homes overseas. However, the suspension of international adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted this process. The Chinese government later resumed adoptions for children who had already received travel authorization before the suspension in 2020, according to the U.S. State Department's annual report on adoptions.
According to the report, a U.S. consulate issued 16 visas for adoptions from China in the 12-month period from October 2022 through September 2023, marking the first such issuance in over two years. It remains unclear whether any additional visas have been issued since that time.
