China has topped Asian countries in organ donation numbers, with average organ donation being 2 per 1 million population (PMP), said Huang Jiefu, head of a national human organ donation and transplant committee in Guangzhou on Saturday, People's Daily Overseas Edition reported.

China published its first national guideline on organ donation Saturday, which is aimed at raising the public's awareness and understanding of the cause. The guideline expounds on the country's principles and polices in the field, including ethics, standards to judge death and standards on extraction and distribution of organs.

"We hope the guideline would help eliminate the public's misunderstanding and bias of donating their organs after death, and get their support," said Huang Jiefu, who is also the chief editor of the guideline.

Despite an acute shortage of organs for transplants, China has banned the use of prisoners' organs for the purpose starting 2015, making citizen donation the only legitimate channel.

An organ donation system planned by the Ministry of Health and the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) entered trial operation in select areas in 2010, and it was expanded to the whole country in 2014. Branches of the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) and the China Organ Transplant Response System (COTRS) have now been set up in hospitals across the country.

Now, China has topped Asia in the number of organ donations. As of Aug. 19 this year, China has seen 4,737 voluntary organ donations, with 12,748 large organs acquired. This year has recorded 1,590 donations.

It is estimated that this year, China's organ donation number will reach a new high.