China punishes online companies for spoofing Communist classics, heroes

BEIJING — China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Monday detailed cases of online companies punished for illegal operations, including imitating Communist classics and heroes, producing gambling games, and hosting illegal performances.

The ministry said that in one of the typical cases, police in southwest China's Sichuan Province issued a warning and imposed heavy fines on a company in the provincial capital of Chengdu, which made videos that spoofed Communist classics and heroes.

Five video platforms in Beijing, South China's Guangdong province and East China's Fujian province were fined for spreading the videos, according to the ministry.

Police in Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing municipalities have fined three companies for providing and spreading gambling games online, said the ministry.

In Guangdong and Fujian, another three companies were fined for hosting online performances with sexual, unethical, or gambling-related content.