Chinese 'fear rising infidelity'

There are fears over the decline of the traditional family

Paternity tests have increased in China's capital Beijing as more suspicious husbands want to find out if their wives are loyal, reports say.

State media says applications for DNA tests in one major city hospital have risen 20% over the past year.

Other clinics in Beijing have reported significant increases.

Doctors say the situation reflects the instability of family relationships as more people lose confidence in the loyalty of marriage.

One hospital administrator - who only gave his name as Xiao - called the upsurge "a by-product of the opening up of society," the China News Service report said.

"It reflects that family relationships are unstable and shows the low level of trust between husbands and wives," Xiao said.

"With the increase in one-night stands, disloyalty within a marriage, relationships become vulnerable and people lose confidence of the loyalty of marriage," the doctor was quoted as saying.

China News Service said there had already been 200 tests at the city hospital by mid-September and there would have been many more if the cost were not so high.