China officially ends adoption scheme for foreign families amid population crunch

China officially ended an adoption programme meant to help foreign families adopt Chinese children on September 5, 2024. While the country had a one-child policy, tens of thousands of Chinese children who were orphaned or abandoned found new homes overseas with the help of the scheme. The end of the programme comes as China deals with a shrinking and ageing population. Beijing said it would now only allow foreign nationals who were relatives to adopt Chinese children.