Top 5 Reasons for the China Adoption Slowdown

We get so many questions about why the China adoption process ebbs and flows in terms of speed that I thought I'd post the rumor mill's top possibilities:

1. The China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) moved this week into larger facilities across the street in Beijing after months of planning / disruption.
2. The Olympics are coming in '08!!! (Now, how this could possibly factor in is anybody's guess, but whatever ...)
3. China recently joined the Hague Treaty on Int'l Adoption, which prompted more paperwork and some new procedural guidelines.
4. There was an unusually high number of applicants in 2005 and a static number of children (this is the CCAA's only official statement on the topic). In June 2005, the CCAA received double the number of dossiers (applications) that they did in June 2004! (Just our luck ...)
5. The unfortunate trafficking scandal in Hunan in fall 2005 (which was limited to just 1 or 2 orphanages) caused the institutes in this province to stop sending referrals for a time). That has now been resolved and the individuals involved severely prosecuted.
Bonus Pick: The CCAA wants to make us all mental!

Personally, my picks are a combination of #4 and 5. But many days I also put stock in my Bonus Pick. Debating this issue is a huge and often entertaining way for the international adoption community to pass the time on the Internet ...