China

Lilith P.

24 October 2024

“Disabled orphans bear brunt of China's overseas adoption ban”

In this article by BBC, it says that China announced they were putting a stop to international adoptions Links to an external site., including cases where families were already matched with adoptee children. The family included in this article adopted a girl from China in 2019 that was missing a limb. The plan was to also adopt this girl's older sister, but when the pandemic got in the way, it was pushed back. Beijing’s civil affairs ministry said that 95% of international adoptions between 2014 and 2018 involved children with disabilities, missing a limb being a common one. Many are outraged, including Huang Yanzhong, a senior fellow at the US-based Council on Foreign Relations because he says the children with such disabilities will be unlikely to be adopted in China. As for the reason for the ban, Beijing has made no comment since the initial announcement, but it’s said that the ban will represent the “overall development and progress” of China.

“Why It’s Getting Harder to Fly to China”

After the Covid-19 pandemic China lifted their strict restrictions in 2022 and were expected to go back to the usual amount of flights, but they did not. Now, many options for flight for Americans and Europeans are very slim. This is because of the war imposed by Russia. Many non-Chinese airlines refuse to fly over Russian airspace and the consequence is less frequent flights that come with a higher cost. This is making it difficult for many overseas students that are from China to find ways home, considering many airlines no longer offer flights to China, and if they do they are a very slim amount.

“First-ever dinosaur fossils discovered in Hong Kong”

On a remote island in Hong Kong the first ever dinosaur fossils were discovered, dating back 145 million to 66 million years ago, an era that followed the Jurassic period. Since 1979, this Port Island has been recognized to be of special scientific interest and is also part of Hong Kong’s UNESCO Global Geopark. This discovery, “Provides new evidence for research on paleoecology in Hong Kong,” as said by Hong Kong’s Secretary of Development, Bernadette Linn.

Sources:

 Ng, Kelly. “Disabled Orphans Bear Brunt of China’s Overseas Adoption Ban.” BBC News, BBC, 9 Oct. 2024, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly39yvde0go Links to an external site..

Wakabayashi, Daisuke. “Why It’s Getting Harder to Fly to China.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Oct. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/10/24/business/china-air-travel-flights.html Links to an external site..

Tsui, Karina. “First-Ever Dinosaur Fossils Discovered in Hong Kong.” CNN, Cable News Network, 24 Oct. 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/10/24/asia/first-dinosaur-fossils-hong-kong-intl-hnk/index.html Links to an external site..

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