CRI听力:Adoption

"My name is A Mei, I was born in the year of rabbit. I love the Chinese language."

A Mei is a Chinese girl who was adopted by an American couple years ago. Recently, her adoptive parents brought her back to China for a tour. Her adoptive mother says she hopes A Mei can get a better understanding of Chinese culture during the trip.

"She is our Baobei (sweetheart), she is beautiful, we love her, and she is very bright, does well at school and sports and music. She is exceptional."
Like A Mei, An Na has the similar experience. An Na's adoptive mum is very proud of her Chinese daughter.

"We've always felt, from the beginning, when we decided to adopt from China, it was important from wherever we adopted for the child to be able to connect with their culture and their heritage, I think that's a big part of becoming who will they eventually become, who they need to be. That is very important part of who they are."

In recent years, China has been a popular destination for couples from other countries seeking to adopt a baby abroad. The Chinese government has been very serious about selecting families for these children and has implemented strict measures to protect the children.

It was in 1992 that intercountry adoption was specified for the first time in China's adoptive law. And in 1993, China joined the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, which is an international convention dealing with international adoption, child laundering, and child trafficking.

The China Center for adoption affairs, which was established in 1996, is a noNPRofit organization committed to transcountry adoption and to seeking opportunities for orphans to find placements with families. So far, it has established partnerships with many adoptive organizations in 17 countries, including the US, the UK and Spain.

Zhang Shifeng, the director of the China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption explains:

"The document provided by adoptive family includes many details. We see if the family is capable of adopting a child. This includes information on the couple's marital status, their health status, their jobs and income, as well as if they have any criminal record. Measuring these aspects aims to ensure that the orphans from China will have a good family looking after them."

Couples who want to adopt a child from China are required to submit their application to China's Ministry of Civil Affairs. If they meet all the requirements, China Center of Adoption Affairs will select a child suitable for their family. After completing all the necessary adoption procedures, the China Center for Children's Welfare and Adoption will follow up with the child. And the adoptive parents are required to provide periodical reports about the child. Here is Zhang Shifeng again:

"We will always keep an eye on these adoptive children. If any harm happens to the children, such as discrimination and so on, we will communicate with the adoptive family first, but if any problem occurs which is beyond our capability to deal with, we will contact the relevant government department to help us deal with the situation."

According to a report by the People's Daily online, it is becoming increasingly difficult for American couples to adopt a Chinese baby because the number of available children is diminishing despite soaring interest.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.