On August 28, China ended an overseas adaption program that had been in place for more than three decades.

Confirming the policy shift last week, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the decision was "in line" with international trends.

"We express our appreciation to those foreign governments and families who wish to adopt Chinese children for their good intentions and the love and kindness they have shown," Mao said.

Yi Fuxian, a Chinese demographer and senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told DW that this decision reflects a landmark shift in China's population policy.

"Previously, they [the government] viewed a newborn as a burden, now they see it as a resource," he said.

When China officially opened its doors to international adoptions in 1992, the country was scrambling to curb its rapid population growth under the draconian "one-child" policy.

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Restricted to a single child, many Chinese families were eventually forced to abandon their children — mostly girls and babies with disabilities — or else face high fines.

As a result, China became a major source of international adoptions.........

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