An Unexpected Change In Policy
But in December of 2006, adoption agencies and their clients began to hear rumors of the Chinese government changing their lenient policies. By the 22nd of that month, the American agency Adoption Associates, Inc had received written confirmation: the Chinese government had announced that all adoption applications submitted after May 1st of 2007 would be subject to new restrictions. Applicants will be denied the chance to adopt from china if they fall under any of the following criteria:
- obese (BMI over 40)
- single
- not involved in a marriage consisting of one man and one woman
- married for less than two years
- divorced, and remarried less than five years
- divorced more than once
- currently on antidepressants, or have been within the last two years
- under thirty years of age or over fifty years (in the case of special needs children, the maximum age is extended to fifty-five years)
- either partner suffering from a mental handicap, diseases (either within the infectious stage, or those limiting life expectancy, or requiring long-term treatment), severe mental disorders (within the last two years), or a physical handicap such as blindness, deafness, severely limited mobility, or facial deformation.
- already having more than five children under the age of 18 or a child under a year old (the former regulation waived with the adoption of special needs children)
In addition, the adopting couple must have a stable income of no less than 10,000 US dollars for each family member (including the prospective adoptee), and the family assets should have a net worth of no less than 80,000 US dollars. (Not including any government subsidy such as unemployment or welfare.) The couple's criminal records will also be taken into account and examined on a case-by-case basis, with the Chinese government reserving the right to reject applicants on criteria such as more than five traffic applications with no severe outcomes, or a history of alcohol abuse less than ten years in the past.
Backlash: Does China Want To Prevent Foreigners From Adopting?
After the announcement internet and print media exploded with editorial pieces, forum discussions, and fierce debates. Front-page articles carried the news across the United States, from the New York Times to the Denver Post, as well as in respected British sources such as The Guardian and BBC news. All asked the question: is the Chinese government trying to prevent foreigners from adopting? Or are they concerned about their image and eager to dispel the notion they can't provide for these orphaned children?
According to China Daily, Xing Kaimin, director of the China Center of Adoption Affairs under the Ministry of Civil Affairs, claims Western media has misunderstood the PRC's true intent. Xing denies that the new rules are for any other reason than to provide for the best interests of the children. The government is only concerned with eliminating applicants with incomplete families or those who may suffer shorter lives due to various afflictions, with the ideal result of children ending up with financially stable and established families.
Still, the new regulations have puzzled many -- especially those who have adopted before, but are barred from doing so again. They question some of the criteria, wondering how obesity or a facial deformation would keep someone from providing a good home to a child in need.
According to China Daily, "More than 50,000 Chinese children are reported to have been adopted by foreigners in the past 10 years..." But despite the numbers many children are unable to find families, growing up in government-run orphanages. In August 2024, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs announced it would end nearly all intercountry adoptions going forward, limiting future adoptions by foreigners to close relatives of the child; more than 160,000 Chinese children had been adopted internationally since the program began in 1992, roughly half of them by families in the United States.
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