To join the anti-SARS effort and to protect the well being of the foreign adopters, the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) in Beijing announced on May 12 that they would temporarily delay the mailing of child matches and travel notices. The CCAA sees this as a short term and precautious measure.

Unfortunately, many media sources have interpreted the announcement inaccurately and used sensational headlines such as "China Adoption Closed," or "China Freezes International Adoption" to describe a very reasonable and understandable decision by the CCAA.

The CCAA makes it very clear that it continues to receive and process adoption applications/dossiers. In fact, since the announcement, Chinese Children Adoption International, the largest China adoption agency in the USA has sent more than sixty adoptive families to China. Those families received their travel notices before the CCAA's announcement. We have adoptive families in China at this moment picking up their children and finalizing their adoptions (5/29/2003).

It is more than inaccurate to say, "China has closed international adoption." It is irresponsible. Our hearts go out to those families who are being affected by the delay, but we are confident that they will eventually get their child match and travel to China to be united with their children.

Joshua Zhong
(303) 850-9998
Chinese Children Adoption International
www.chinesechildren.org
joshua@chinesechildren.org

© 2003