Xinhua News Agency yesterday promulgated a set of measures to
regulate the release of news and information in China by foreign
news agencies, and subscriptions to such news and information by
users in China, and to promote the dissemination of news and
information in a sound and orderly manner.
Xinhua formulated the "Measures for Administering the Release of
News and Information in China by Foreign News Agencies" in
accordance with national laws, administrative regulations and the
relevant regulations of the State Council.
Consisting of 22 articles, the Measures went into effect
yesterday.
Xinhua, China's state news agency, is legally authorized to
exercise unified administration over the release of news and
information in China by foreign news agencies.
According to the "Decision of the State Council on Establishment
of Administrative Licenses for Items Subject to Administrative
Examination and Approval That Need to Be Retained," foreign news
agencies shall be subject to approval by Xinhua for the release of
news and information in China, and shall have entities designated
by Xinhua act as their agents. In addition, foreign news agencies
shall not directly solicit subscriptions for their news and
information services in China.
The Measures state that news and information released in China
by foreign news agencies shall not contain any of the following
that serves to:
-
violate the basic principles enshrined in the Constitution of
the People's Republic of China;
-
undermine China's national unity, sovereignty and territorial
integrity;
-
endanger China's national security, reputation and
interests;
-
violate China's religious policies or preach evil cults or
superstition;
-
incite hatred and discrimination among ethnic groups,
undermine their unity, infringe upon their customs and habits, or
hurt their feelings;
-
spread false information, disrupt China's economic and social
order, or undermine China's social stability;
-
propagate obscenity and violence, or abet crimes;
-
humiliate or slander another person, or infringe upon the
legitimate rights and interests of another person;
-
undermine social ethics or the fine cultural traditions of the
Chinese nation;
-
include other content banned by Chinese laws and
administrative regulations.
The Measures say Xinhua has the right to select the news and
information released by foreign news agencies in China and shall
delete any material that falls under the above descriptions.
"To subscribe to news and information services of foreign news
agencies, a user in China shall sign a subscription agreement with
a designated entity and shall not, by any means, directly subscribe
to, translate, edit or publish the news and information released by
a foreign news agency," according to the Measures.
In using news and information from a foreign news agency, the
user in China shall clearly indicate the sources and shall not
transfer them to another party in any form, the Measures say.
The Measures have detailed requirements relating to a foreign
news agency's legal credentials in its home country or region,
releasing news and information in China and release application
procedures, and have detailed regulations on the distribution of
foreign news and information undertaken by designated entities in
China.
The Measures also specify penalties for violations.
If a foreign news agency violates the Measures, for example,
Xinhua shall give it a warning, demand rectification within a
prescribed time limit, suspend its release of specified content,
suspend or cancel its qualifications for releasing news and
information in China.
Xinhua shall impose disciplinary punishment for violations by a
staff member who, for example, fails to perform his duties of
supervision and administration, or abuses his powers.
These Measures shall be applied mutatis mutandis to the
release of news and information on the mainland by news agencies
and other news and information releasing entities of the nature of
a news agency in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
The "Methods for the Exercise of Administration over Publication
in China of Economic Information by Foreign News Agencies and Their
Information Subsidiaries," promulgated by Xinhua News Agency on
April 15, 1996, are repealed simultaneously.
Measures for Administering the Release of News and
Information in China by Foreign News Agencies (Full Text)
(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2006)