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  • China's Abandoned Children and Transnational Adoption:Issues and Problems for U.S.–China Relations, Adoption Agencies, and Adoptive Parents
  • Anita M. Andrew (bio)

The year 2007 marks the nineteenth anniversary of a very fragile but enduring diplomatic and immigration arrangement which has permitted American singles and couples to adopt children from China. Adoption statistics for the fiscal years 1988–2004 list a total of 47,501 U.S. immigrant visas issued to Chinese "orphans."1

The Chinese children who have been adopted by American citizens since 1988 include mostly infant or toddler girls and some boys with various types of birth defects. They became available for foreign adoption as the result of the population control efforts in place since the early 1980s, known as the "One Child" policy.2 Rural families emphasized to their sons and daughters-in-law their responsibility to produce at least one son to carry on the family name because of a traditional notion that a son could contribute to the family's income and then care for parents in old age. Most families welcomed one daughter, but a second daughter was often abandoned.3

American adoptive parents have long considered China's loss to be their gain. China offered single parents and older parents a unique opportunity that was not usually available in domestic adoptions.4 They were also drawn to China because they sincerely believed they were saving a child's life.5

Parents have readily accepted the terms the Chinese government set for these adoptions, including the requirement of travel to China, approximately two weeks in China to complete the adoption process, a cash donation to the orphanage, and promises to the Chinese government about providing for the welfare of the child. As costly and inconvenient as the trip to China is for most American adoptive parents, two main factors make China a desirable choice: the adoptions are finalized in China, providing parents with the peace of mind that comes from finalizing the adoption with both governments before the new family leaves China; and there is never an issue of dealing with a birth parent since all the children available for adoption by foreigners are officially classified by China as "abandoned."

There have been numerous accounts in the Western media since 2001 about how adoptions of children from the other Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Vietnam, have often been plagued by corruption involving adoption officials in the countries. Americans flocked to China for transnational adoptions in even greater numbers precisely because they regarded [End Page 123] it as a safe choice, due to the steps the Chinese government took to ensure that each child was indeed legally available for adoption. A statement is included in the paperwork provided to adoptive parents stating when and where the child was abandoned and that the orphanage worked with police officials to try to determine the abandoned child's parents. There was no reason to question the Chinese government's conclusions or methods until quite recently. There is now mounting evidence, however, that in China, too, baby-trafficking rings are present and are not just a recent phenomenon.6

This essay addresses a number of key issues and problems that have emerged in the history of transnational adoptions from China. Based on data derived in large part from media and government reports, I argue that the briefing reports on China made available to prospective parents stress the necessity of cultural sensitivity to a much greater extent than that suggested for any other host country for transnational adoption. Such an attitude suggests that both the United States and China regard their linkage through transnational adoption as a unique opportunity to bind the two countries politically. I also argue that the United States government sets the tone for how all licensed adoption agencies address the amount and type of information about China to prospective parents.

China's Abandoned Children Classified as "Orphans"

Every aspect of the transnational adoption process with China since 1988 has hinged on the assumption that the children placed in American homes were abandoned even though adoption agencies routinely use the term "orphan" to describe the children. Prospective parents immediately understand these terms to mean...

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