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.