China asks if adoptive parents should be punished after another high-profile kidnapping reunion

Chinese law says adoptive parents can be punished by up to three years in jail

But lawyers say prosecution is rarely pursued because of complicated family dynamics

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Guo Gangtang’s son was kidnapped 24 years ago, and he spent many years riding around on a motorcycle asking for help to find his son. They were reunited on Tuesday. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 7:45pm, 15 Jul 2021Updated: 8:07pm, 15 Jul 2021

In a scene that could have a Hollywood script, a man in China who had spent 24 years searching for his kidnapped son was reunited on Tuesday in a setting witnessed by both of the families, the police and a CCTV live broadcast.

But as the national elation dissipated, people across the country began to ask an uncomfortable question: should the parents who “adopted” the stolen baby be punished?

Guo reunites with son who was kidnapped in 1997. Photo: CCTV

The people who kidnap the kids usually connect with layers of middlemen, who search for families, often in the rural villages, in need of children, who then purchase the stolen child.

The question is how much culpability should land at the feet of the adoptive parents.

Guo Xinzhen, the young man who was kidnapped as a child and is now 26, likes his adoptive family. He said he wanted to continue living with them because they were good to him growing up. Plus, he has a job in the town where he grew up.

China asks if adoptive parents should be punished after another high-profile kidnapping reunion

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} Chinese law says adoptive parents can be punished by up to three years in jail But lawyers say prosecution is rarely pursued because of complicated family dynamics

Chinese law says adoptive parents can be punished by up to three years in jail

But lawyers say prosecution is rarely pursued because of complicated family dynamics