New IM rule covers foreign media

Foreign media organizations must obtain a license, as their Chinese counterparts are required to, if they want to open a public account and publish news on instant messaging tools in China, an official said on Monday.

Under a new rule, only the public accounts of news agencies, news websites and institutions with online news and information service licenses can publish and forward political news.

The rule, which was issued by the State Internet Information Office and took effect on Aug 7, also applies to foreign media, said Xu Feng, head of the office's mobile Internet department.