China ending foreign adoptions, likely impacting 'hundreds of families'

China has ended foreign adoptions of Chinese children, a move that could potentially impact hundreds of U.S. families.

The confirmation of China's change in policy was announced Thursday by the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"China will not send children abroad for adoption," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said in a Sept. 5 press conference. "This is also in line with the spirit of relevant international covenants. We express our appreciation to those foreign governments and families, who wish to adopt Chinese children, for their good intention and the love and kindness they have shown."

The policy does allow exceptions for foreigners adopting stepchildren and children of relatives within three generations in China.

The State Department confirmed to ABC News it is aware of the change, which applies to all pending adoptions across all receiving countries, including the U.S.

The U.S. embassy in Beijing is also requesting clarification in writing from China's Ministry of Civil Affairs on the change, according to the State Department, which emphasized that intercountry adoption remains one of the department's highest priorities.

"We understand there are hundreds of families still pending completion of their adoptions and we sympathize with their situation," a State Department spokesperson said. "We strive to provide prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) and adoption service providers (ASPs) with accurate information. The Office of Children’s Issues will update adoption service providers when we have additional information."

"The State Department is engaging the MCA and different levels of government to understand the reasons behind this announcement, discuss the impact for children and prospective adoptive parents, and understand the specific terms of the PRC's suspension for adoption cases in progress," the spokesperson added.

The move comes four years after China suspended foreign adoptions during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and then resumed a small number of cases in 2022 and 2023. Only 16 adoptions from China were finalized in 2023, according to a State Department report, down considerably from 2008-2016, when the State Department was reporting approximately 2,000 to 3,000 adoptions from China each year.

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China, along with the U.S, is a member participant of the Hague Adoption Convention, which protects intercountry adoptions but China had only allowed adoptions from China to the U.S.

Ryan Hanlon, the president of the National Council For Adoption, an adoption advocacy nonprofit, said the ending of Chinese adoptions will impact "hundreds of families."

"The news that China will be ending intercountry adoption is very disappointing, primarily for the children who will continue to live in orphanages instead of families, but also for the families who have been matched with a child for adoption and have waited years, only to learn this sad news," Hanlon said in a statement to "Good Morning America." "Hundreds of families had been approved by China's government for adoption and have faithfully waited more than four years, beginning with COVID-19 shutdowns until now."

"We hope the governments of China and the United States can find a way to cooperate in this regard and prioritize the best interests of children," Hanlon added.

China's population has been on the decline, falling for a second year in a row to about 1.4 billion, as the Associated Press reported in January. The Chinese government has been working to address concerns and in 2015, the ruling Chinese Community Party ended its controversial one-child family planning policy after 36 years.