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Beijing tightens

control of

Internet content

HONG KONG: Beijing will clamp down on Internet news media companies that operate in China by putting them under the supervision of censorship authorities, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

Companies with new commercial Web sites providing news services must get approval from the government's information office before they can apply for business licenses from the Ministry of Information Industry, the Hong Kong Standard quoted a senior official in the State Council, or cabinet, as saying.

Companies that already operate news services on their Web sites must also apply to their local government's information office, Wang Qingchu, a deputy director at the Information Office of the State Council, was quoted as saying.

The rules would apply to both Internet content providers and Internet service providers including both joint-ventures and wholly foreign-invested companies, he was quoted as saying.

"The commercial Web sites providing news services are in fact operating out of their licensed business domain," the newspaper quoted Wang as saying.

Wang declined to say whether violators would be punished, the report said. The government also plans to introduce rules governing Web sites providing news to ensure they would have the "correct orientation for public opinion," Wang was quoted as saying.

Newspapers, television and other media in China are subject to censoring agencies. The Ministry of Information Industry has so far dealt only with commercial aspects of Internet businesses, the report said.

Last month, China's minister of information industry was quoted as telling a mainland Chinese magazine that unspecified, new controls over Internet content providers would be introduced.ÑAP