China has shut down the microblogging accounts of
outspoken former property tycoon Ren Zhiqiang after he
criticised President Xi Jinping.
The Cyberspace Administration of China accused Mr Ren
of publishing "illegal messages that had a bad impact".
Mr Ren had written that state media were funded by
taxpayers and should serve them, not the Communist
Party.
President Xi urged state media early this month to
follow party lines in their reporting.
China has been criticised for its strict internet
regulations, including blocking major sites and censoring
posts.
But Mr Xi has argued that countries had the right to
choose how to develop and regulate the internet.
Almost 40 journalists are currently in prison in China for
work posted online, the advocacy group Reporters
Without Borders says.
Ren Zhiqiang is a retired top property developer with
more than 30 million online followers.
His Weibo blog last week attacking Mr Xi had been
criticised by state media - one referring to him as
referring "anti-Communist Party" thoughts.
Internet users had to stick to the law and the
fundamentals of socialism, said Jiang Jun, a spokesman
for the Cyberspace Administration of China.
China has also unveiled new rules - coming into effect on
10 March - banning foreign media companies and foreign
joint ventures from distributing content online without
prior approval by Beijing officials.
BBC
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