China’s top internet watchdog has banned 11 specific online activities under strict new rules for multiplatform content creators taking effect later this year. Rolling out the new regulations last week, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said they aimed to prevent the spread of rumours and posts that could incite public anger, antagonism or social discrimination. The prohibited content includes posts fabricating topics to confuse the public, spreading fake or speculative information,...

Li Xiaohong, a former senior disciplinary official in charge of national inspection, has been placed under investigation for suspected severe disciplinary and legal violations, China’s top anti-corruption authorities said on Tuesday. The downfall of the 73-year-old veteran – known for spearheading high-level anti-corruption crackdowns and his top disciplinary roles at the securities regulator – underscores Beijing’s continued efforts to target corruption among its most senior disciplinary...

Aerodynamics expert Gu Songfen has died at 96. He was the chief designer of China’s J-8 fighter jet family – the first home-grown supersonic fighter jet to counter US high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Gu was an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering as well as a researcher at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). He died in Beijing on Sunday night, according to a statement from AVIC. A farewell ceremony is scheduled for Saturday in...

Shi Yongxin, former abbot of the world-famous Shaolin Temple, has been sentenced to 24 years in jail for crimes including embezzlement and taking bribes, state news agency Xinhua reported. Shi was also fined 3.5 million yuan (US$516,000). Xinxiang Intermediate People’s Court in China’s central Henan province found that Shi, whose birth name is Liu Yingcheng, had embezzled more than 131 million yuan between 2003 and 2025. Shi appeared in a public trial on Monday. The verdict was announced on...

China’s top military command has issued strict measures to enforce discipline among senior officials of the People’s Liberation Army, marking its latest bid to further tighten controls over the behaviour of the top brass. The Central Military Commission (CMC), led by President Xi Jinping as chairman, issued the “measures on strengthening the education, management and supervision of senior military cadres” recently, state news agency Xinhua reported on Wednesday. In a front-page commentary on...

Foreign spies have posed as wedding photographers near naval ports and used cars fitted with advanced radar, GPS and optical sensors to collect mapping data under the guise of autonomous driving research, China’s top state secrets watchdog has cautioned. The National Administration of State Secrets Protection’s warning about foreign spies acting as “eyes in the dark” came in its latest anti-espionage documentary, with state broadcaster CCTV airing the first episode on Tuesday. “In real life, the...