Abandoned children cannot be adopted or sent to a third party without official approval in Gansu province, Lanzhou Morning News reported on Tuesday.

Procedures for reporting and taking care of abandoned babies were recently released by eight provincial governmental departments, including civil affairs and public security departments.

According to Gansu authorities, any organization or individual in the province who found an abandoned child should first report it to the local community management committee and police.

Nobody can adopt or send the abandoned child to any other party without official approval. Those who abandon children will face legal sanction, depending on the circumstances.