A newly-revised regulation by the Chinese Ministry of Health has required hospitals to exercise strict control over married couples that use in-vitro fertilization technology or "test-tube baby" method to get triplets or more in pregnancy, and called for the avoidance of twins in gestation.

It also explicitly bans human cloning.

The regulation urges all the medical institutions and personnel using the technology to strictly abide by the State's family planning policy so as to minimize the negative impact of the technology on society, ethics and law as well as the health of women and children.

Identity cards, marriage certificates and birth permits of infertile couples should be checked in order to prevent inappropriate use of the technology by unqualified couples and single women.

(Xinhua News Agency November 16, 2003)