China has no organized system of organ donations.[23] Since the late 1980s, there have been multiple indications that executed prisoners are the main (and essentially the only) source of organs and tissues for Chinese transplant programs.[24] Although using executed prisoners' organs is legal in China, there is evidence that the government attempted to downplay the scope of organ harvesting through confidentiality agreements[25] and laws, such as the Temporary Rules Concerning the Utilization of Corpses or Organs from the Corpses of Executed Prisoners.[26] Nevertheless, China still suffered a shortage of organs for transplant.