Interim Provisions on the Administration of Internet Web Sites Engaged in News Posting Operations (CECC Partial Translation)
The following is a partial translation prepared by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China of the "Interim Provisions on the Administration of Internet Web Sites Engaged in News Posting Operations" issued by the State Council on November 7, 2000. The Chinese text was retrieved from the Internet Society of China Web site on March 7, 2006.
Article 4: The State Council Information Office shall be responsible for the work of administering the operations of the nation’s Internet sites engaging in posting news.
The people’s government’s news offices for the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities shall be responsible for the work of administering the operations of the nation’s Internet sites engaging in posting news in their respective jurisdictions in accordance with these Provisions.
Article 5: The legally established websites of central news units, news units of all departments of the central government’s agencies and the news units directly under the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities and the municipal people’s governments for the provinces and autonomous regions (“news websites”) may engage in news posting operations after receiving authorization. Other news units may not independently establish news websites, but after receiving authorization may establish news web pages and engage in news posting operations on the news website established by a central news unit or a news unit of a province, autonomous region or independent municipality.
Article 6: News units establishing news websites (web pages) to engage in news publishing operations shall report to the State Council Information Office or the provincial, autonomous region or independent municipality people’s government information office in accordance with the following provisions:
(i) central news agencies that establish news websites to engage in news posting operations shall submit to examination, verification and authorization by the State Council Information Agency.
(ii) the news units of all departments of the central government’s agencies that establish news websites to engage in news posting operations shall, after receiving examination and approval from the responsible department, submit to examination and verification by the State Council Information Agency.
(iii) news units directly under the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities and the municipal people’s governments for the provinces and autonomous regions that establish news websites to engage in news posting operations shall, after receiving examination and approval from the people’s government information offices for the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities, submit to the submit to examination and verification by the State Council Information Agency.
(iv) news units below the level of provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities that establish news web pages and engage in news posting operations on a news website established by a central news unit or a news unit of a province, autonomous region or independent municipality shall submit to examination and approval from the people’s government information offices for the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities and register with the State Council Information Office.
Article 7: Non-news units that establish general interest website (“general interest non-news unit websites”), that possess the qualifications set forth in Article 9 of these Provisions, may engage in operations of posting news promulgated by central government news units, the news units of departments of central government agencies, and the news units directly under the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities, but may not post news from their own sources or news from other sources. Other Internet websites that are established by a non-news unit in accordance with the law may not engage in news posting operations.
Article 8: General interest non-news unit websites that engage in news posting operations shall, in accordance with Article 7 of these Provisions, after receiving examination and approval from the people’s government information offices for the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities, submit to the submit to examination and verification by the State Council Information Agency.
Article 9: General interest non-news unit websites that engage in news posting operations must possess the following qualifications:
(i) have a system of principles and bylaws for engaging in news posting operations that conforms with the provisions of laws and regulations;
(ii) have all necessary editorial organs, capital, equipment and premises;
(iii) have a responsible person who is a news editorial professional with extensive work experience in news and news expert technical professional qualifications at mid-level or higher; and also have the appropriate number of personnel with news expert technical professional qualifications at mid-level or higher;
(iv) have news information sources which comply with Article 11 of these Provisions.
Article 10: When applying to engage in news posting operations, Internet websites shall fill out and submit an "Application for a Website to Engage in News Posting Operations" as put out by the State Council Information Office.
Article 11: General interest non-news unit websites that engage in operations of posting news promulgated by central news units, news units of any departments of the central government’s agencies and the news units directly under the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities and the municipal people’s governments for the provinces and autonomous regions, shall enter into signed contracts with the relevant aforementioned news unit, and shall forward a copy to the relevant province, autonomous region or independent municipality government of the sponsoring unit for for recording.
Article 13: News posted on Internet websites may not have the following contents:
(i) violating the basic principles as they are confirmed in the Constitution;
(ii) jeopardizing the security of the nation, divulging state secrets, inciting subversion of state power or jeopardizing the integrity of the nation's unity;
(iii) harming the honor or the interests of the nation;
(iv) inciting hatred against peoples, racism against peoples, or disrupting the solidarity of peoples ;
(v) disrupting national policies on religion, propagating evil cults and propagating feudal superstitions;
(vi) spreading rumors, compiling and promulgating false news, disturbing social order or disrupting social stability;
(vii) spreading obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, terror, or abetting the commission of a crime;
(viii) insulting or defaming third parties, infringing on the legal rights and interests of third parties; and
(ix) any other content prohibited by law or rules.
Article 15: Violations of these Regulations shall, where any of the following conditions exist, be reported to the State Council Information Office or the the people’s government’s news offices for the province, autonomous region, or independent municipality, and shall be corrected within the time ordered. Where the situation is serious, those who have already obtained qualification as news posting businesses shall have their qualification as news posting businesses revoked:
(i) Posting news without having obtained qualification to operate a news posting business;
(ii) General interest non-news unit websites posting news they have written themselves or posting news that does not comply with origin requirements stipulated in Article 7, or not displaying the origin of news;
(iii) General interest non-news unit websites failing to enter into signed contracts with central news units, news units of any departments of the central government’s agencies and the news units directly under the provinces, autonomous regions and independent municipalities and the municipal people’s governments for the provinces and autonomous regions, and post their news times without authorization, or failing to carry recording requirements.
(iv) Linking to websites outside of China without authorization, or posting news issued by news media or websites outside of China.
互联网站从事登载新闻业务管理暂行规定
颁布日期：20001107 实施日期：20001107 颁布单位：国务院新闻办公室、 信息产业部
第一条 为了促进我国互联网新闻传播事业的发展，规范互联网站登载新闻的业务，维护互联网新闻的真实性、准确性、合法性，制定本规定。
第二条 本规定适用于在中华人民共和国境内从事登载新闻业务的互联网站。
本规定所称登载新闻，是指通过互联网发布和转载新闻。
第三条 互联网站从事登载新闻业务，必须遵守宪法和法律、法规。
国家保护互联网站从事登载新闻业务的合法权益。
第四条 国务院新闻办公室负责全国互联网站从事登载新闻业务的管理工作。
省、自治区、直辖市人民政府新闻办公室依照本规定负责本行政区域内互联网站从事登载新闻业务的管理工作。
第五条 中央新闻单位、中央国家机关各部门新闻单位以及省、自治区、直辖市和省、自治区人民政府所在地的市直属新闻单位依法建立的互联网站（以下简 称新闻网站），经批准可以从事登载新闻业务。其他新闻单位不单独建立新闻网站，经批准可以在中央新闻单位或者省、自治区、直辖市直属新闻单位建立的新闻网 站建立新闻网页从事登载新闻业务。
第六条 新闻单位建立新闻网站（页）从事登载新闻业务，应当依照下列规定报国务院新闻办公室或者省、自治区、直辖市人民政府新闻办公室审核批准：
（一）中央新闻单位建立新闻网站从事登载新闻业务，报国务院新闻办公室审核批准。
（二）中央国家机关各部门新闻单位建立新闻网站从事登载新闻业务，经主管部门审核同意，报国务院新闻办公室批准。
（三）省、自治区、直辖市和省、自治区人民政府所在地的市直属新闻单位建立新闻网站从事登载新闻业务，经所在地省、自治区、直辖市人民政府新闻办公室审核同意，报国务院新闻办公室批准。
（四）省、自治区、直辖市以下新闻单位在中央新闻单位或者省、自治区、直辖市直属新闻单位的新闻网站建立新闻网页从事登载新闻业务，报所在地省、自治区、直辖市人民政府新闻办公室审核批准，并报国务院新闻办公室备案。
第七条 非新闻单位依法建立的综合性互联网站（以下简称综合性非新闻单位网站），具备本规定第九条所列条件的，经批准可以从事登载中央新闻单位、中 央国家机关各部门新闻单位以及省、自治区、直辖市直属新闻单位发布的新闻的业务，但不得登载自行采写的新闻和其他来源的新闻。非新闻单位依法建立的其他互 联网站，不得从事登载新闻业务。
第八条 综合性非新闻单位网站依照本规定第七条从事登载新闻业务，应当经主办单位所在地省、自治区、直辖市人民政府新闻办公室审核同意，报国务院新闻办公室批准。
第九条 综合性非新闻单位网站从事登载新闻业务，应当具备下列条件：
（一）有符合法律、法规规定的从事登载新闻业务的宗旨及规章制度；
（二）有必要的新闻编辑机构、资金、设备及场所；
（三）有具相关新闻工作经验和中级以上新闻专业技术职务资格的专职新闻编辑负责人，并有相应数量的具有中级以上新闻专业技术职务资格的专职新闻编辑人员；
（四）有符合本规定第十一条规定的新闻信息来源。
第十条 互联网站申请从事登载新闻业务，应当填写并提交国务院新闻办公室统一制发的《互联网站从事登载新闻业务申请表》。
第十一条 综合性非新闻单位网站从事登载中央新闻单位、中央国家机关各部门新闻单位以及省、自治区、直辖市直属新闻单位发布的新闻的业务，应当同上述有关新闻单位签订协议，并将协议副本报主办单位所在地省、自治区、直辖市人民政府新闻办公室备案。
第十二条 综合性非新闻单位网站登载中央新闻单位、中央国家机关各部门新闻单位以及省、自治区、直辖市直属新闻单位发布的新闻，应当注明新闻来源和日期。
第十三条 互联网站登载的新闻不得含有下列内容：
（一）违反宪法所确定的基本原则；
（二）危害国家安全，泄露国家秘密，煽动颠覆国家政权，破坏国家统一；
（三）损害国家的荣誉和利益；
（四）煽动民族仇恨、民族歧视，破坏民族团结；
（五）破坏国家宗教政策，宣扬邪教，宣扬封建迷信；
（六）散布谣言，编造和传播假新闻，扰乱社会秩序，破坏社会稳定；
（七）散布淫秽、色情、赌博、暴力、恐怖或者教唆犯罪；
（八）侮辱或者诽谤他人，侵害他人合法权益；
（九）法律、法规禁止的其他内容。
第十四条 互联网站链接境外新闻网站，登载境外新闻媒体和互联网站发布的新闻，必须另行报国务院新闻办公室批准。
第十五条 违反本规定，有下列情形之一的，由国务院新闻办公室或者省、自治区、直辖市人民政府新闻办公室给予警告，责令限期改正；已取得从事登载新闻业务资格的，情节严重的，撤消其从事登载新闻业务的资格：
（一）未取得从事登载新闻业务资格，擅自登载新闻的；
（二）综合性非新闻单位网站登载自行采写的新闻或者登载不符合本规定第七条规定来源的新闻的，或者未注明新闻来源的；
（三）综合性非新闻单位网站未与中央新闻单位、中央国家机关各部门新闻单位以及省、自治区、直辖市直属新闻单位签订协议擅自登载其发布的新闻，或者签订的协议未履行备案手续的；
（四）未经批准，擅自链接境外新闻网站，登载境外新闻媒体和互联网站发布的新闻的。
第十六条 互联网站登载的新闻含有本规定第十三条所列内容之一，构成犯罪的，依法追究刑事责任；尚不构成犯罪的，由公安机关或者国家安全机关依照有关法律、行政法规的规定给予行政处罚。
第十七条 互联网站登载新闻含有本规定第十三条所列内容之一或者有本规定第十五条所列情形之一的，国务院信息产业主管部门或者省、自治区、直辖市电信管理机构依照有关法律、行政法规的规定，可以责令关闭网站。并吊销其电信业务经营许可证。
第十八条 在本规定施行前已经从事登载新闻业务的互联网站，应当自本规定施行之日起60日内依照本规定办理相应的手续。
第十九条 本规定自发布之日起施行。