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Hong Kong has an adoption system that is separate from China's, even though it has been under China's rule since 1997, as part of the "one country, two systems" agreement that was worked out during the negotiation of the handover. Hong Kong is a very small and relatively prosperous place. It is also quite Westernized. As a result, relatively few healthy newborns, infants, and toddlers are relinquished for adoption, and when they are, there are usually Hong Kong families eager to adopt them. Thus, you will rarely see a healthy infant or toddler placed internationally. Hong Kong does have an international program, but it is almost entirely devoted to placing children with special needs. The Hong Kong authorities give first priority to people of Chinese heritage, when placing children overseas; they believe that it is best for the children to grow up speaking Chinese, celebrating Chinese culture, etc. As a result, the youngest and healthiest children placed overseas are usually placed with families of Chinese heritage. The children placed with non-Chinese families will usually have fairly significant needs. As an example, some American families have adopted children with Down's syndrome from Hong Kong. There may occasionally be school age children who are healthy except for adoption related problems, and there may also be children of all ages who appear healthy, but who were born to women with certain conditions that could possibly show up in the children eventually (such as certain mental illnesses with a genetic component). If you are open to a child with special needs, have adequate income, are healthy, and have no criminal history, Hong Kong may be the right adoption program for you. People age 25 to 45 are preferred, though older people can adopt older children or some hard to place children. Singles are accepted on a case by case basis, and will need to have good financial resources, good availability of child care, and (ideally) some background related to the care of children with special needs. Hong Kong is Hague-compliant, so you will need to use a Hague-accredited agency and go through the I-800 process. Each Hague-accredited agency will work with one of three Hong Kong social welfare organizations to identify a child for you. Sharon