Six departments of the Chinese government, including the Ministry of Culture and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, have introduced new regulations that limit online games and foreign satellite broadcasts containing objectionable content.
"The games' contents are often related to sex or violence, and more than half of the online games being played in China are foreign ones without authorization from the Chinese government," Tuo Zuhai, an official with the Ministry of Culture, explained. "Some games adversely affect youngsters' psychological health."
Under the new regulations, only online games with import authorization from the Ministry of Culture may be brought into the country, and game content may not be revised without authorization. Further, China will no longer approve the broadcast of any new foreign satellite TV channels, and there are no immediate plans to appoint any new institutions to serve as import agents for media products such as books and magazines, video and audio products and movies and TV programs.
Unlicensed broadcasting of foreign signals is prohibited, but a small number of overseas channels, such as InfoNews, CNN, Bloomberg, HBO and BBC World, have obtained approval to broadcast in hotels, residences and offices that are used exclusively by foreigners.