At a daily briefing Thursday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in the future Beijing would only allow foreign nationals who are relatives to adopt Chinese children.

She did not explain the reason for the decision, other than saying it was line with international agreements.

Ms Mao thanked families “for their desire and love in adopting children from China”.

The ban on foreign adoptions has created uncertainty for hundreds of families in the US currently going through the process of adopting children from China.

In a phone call with US diplomats in China, Beijing said it would “not continue to process cases at any stage” other than those adoption cases covered by an exception clause. This position was confirmed by spokeswoman Ms Mao.

Washington is seeking clarification from China’s civic ministry.

China’s one-child policy – which ended in 2016 – often forced families to abandon their children.

Officials are currently worried there are not enough babies being born to sustain the population.

In 2021, Beijing formally revised its laws to allow couples to have up to three children, to boost the birth rate. However, China’s birth rate has continued to decline, and in 2023 the country’s total population fell for the first time in 60 years.