Chinese twins reunited after identity fraud investigation

A pair of identical twins were reunited in eastern China decades after they were separately adopted, thanks to police unwittingly investigating them for suspected identity fraud.

The twin sisters, identified by their surnames Pei and Yang, met 26 years after they were adopted in Jiangsu province, only because officials flagged their uncannily similar profiles during a population data check, Yangtse Evening Post reported on Sunday.

Authorities initially suspected one person of using two identities, although one of the birth dates was off by a day. Both women live in Jiangsu, with Pei based in the city of Yixing, and Yang in Taixing.

After police connected them, the sisters decided to meet in another Jiangsu city, Taicang, for DNA tests. According to the report, they were thrilled to be united and have already met each other’s families.

Police later found out the twins were given up for adoption at an early age because their biological parents wanted a son. China’s patriarchal values are attributed to the marked preference for male children, although this is slowly changing. It has led to a heavily skewed gender ratio – an estimated 117 boys for every 100 girls under the age of 15, according to 2015 census data.

The issue was further exacerbated by strict family planning policies. Officials estimate that about 10,000 children in China are abandoned or given up for adoption annually.