Embarrassing turf war

It is rare for such a turf war to take place between central government departments. And it is urgent for the regulatory agencies involved to define the boundary of their responsibility.

The General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) decided on Monday to suspend its approval of the World of WarCraft online game. The game has more than 1 million players on the Chinese mainland. However, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) opened fire at GAPP, saying its decision was "an act out of bounds".

GAPP immediately responded by saying that its decision was an unofficial attitude based on legal grounds as the State Council's circular issued last July authorized the GAPP to see to online games before they get a certificate from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.