Houston Community News >> China Bans New Internet Cafes
3/6/2007 -- China will not
allow any more internet cafes to open this year, according to a government order
obtained by the state news agency Xinhua. The notice, issued by 14 government
authorities, also vows to crack down on gambling through online games.
Xinhua said the new restrictions were part of a campaign to combat the rising
problem of internet addiction.
Internet cafes that have already been given approval must be completed by the
end of June, the news agency reports.
There are currently about 113,000 internet cafes and bars in China, according to
the country's Ministry of Information Industry.
China has already banned minors from such cafes, and levies heavy fines on
operators who flout these regulations.
Censorship
The number of people using the internet in China has grown by 30% over the last
year, to 132 million, the state Internet Network Information Centre announced in
December.
That figure puts China on track to surpass the US online population in the next
two years.
In January, President Hu Jintao ordered Chinese internet regulators to promote a
"healthy online culture" to protect the government's stability.
The government encourages internet use for education or business purposes, but
has been criticized for censoring items it deems subversive or offensive.
The Chinese government has denied such reports, and insists its regulation of
the internet is in line with the rest of the world.
(Contributed by Xinhua)