The National Health Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology issued a statement on Wednesday saying they are paying a lot of attention to the case of two gene-edited babies－a matter that ignited concerns worldwide about ethical research.

"We always attach importance to safeguarding people's health rights and interests. Conducting scientific research and medical activities should abide by related laws, regulations and ethic rules. We will always punish any illegal activity," the statement said. The ministries are continuing to investigate.

He Jiankui, the Chinese researcher who found himself in the global spotlight over his genetic manipulation of human cells, triggered a global ethical storm on Monday after he claimed to have genetically altered a pair of twins, Lulu and Nana, in an attempt to make them immune from HIV.

He recruited eight couples through an AIDS support group. One couple dropped out, and He got about 30 eggs from the seven remaining couples.

Attending the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong on Wednesday－where he had already been scheduled as a speaker－He was asked by a participant about his decision to go ahead with human trials.

He said he was "proud" of his work, and believed that he was helping people who otherwise would have no hope for life. The twins were born healthy this month in China, He said.

World-leading researchers at the summit who heard his account expressed deep concerns about the ethical risks and unpredictable possible outcomes of the experiment.

David Baltimore, chair of the summit's organizing committee, said it would be irresponsible to proceed with any genome editing at the clinical level unless and until the safety issues have been dealt with and there is universal consensus.

Baltimore said He's research was not transparent and shows a failure of self-regulation by the scientific community.

Robin Lovell-Badge, head of the Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics at the Francis Crick Institute in the UK, said He was misguided and took bad advice.