China is to further tighten its grip on internet use by restricting the broadcast of videos on the web to only those run by state-sanctioned companies.

In the government’s latest clampdown on cyberspace, all sites that provide video programming or allow users to upload video must obtain a government permit, with the only companies permitted to apply being those that are state-owned or state-controlled. The new rules, which - crucially - apply to video-sharing websites too, also require providers to report questionable content to the government.

Executives at Chinese video-sharing sites spoke with caution but said the move not unexpected and would likely have a much greater impact on new entrants to the market, such as Google’s popular YouTube.com that has yet to formally register in China.

The manager of one popular Chinese site, who declined to be identified, said he expected smaller providers to be unaffected - at least at first - while bigger players would probably form partnerships with state-linked operations. He said: “This is China, the companies always seem to find a way to get around new regulations.”

The new rules, which come into force on January 31, mark a fresh attempt by Beijing to curtail the internet habits of an increasingly web-savvy population that has become accustomed to decades of state intervention. Officials have long ensured that traditional media, including television and newspapers, conform to their view of what the Chinese people should see, read and know.

Already, providers vet all videos uploaded onto their sites for pornographic or politically dissenting content to avoid attracting the wrath of the censors.

The new regulations state that: “Those who provide Internet video services should insist on serving the people, serve socialism ... and abide by the moral code of socialism.”

The policy will ban providers from broadcasting video that involves national secrets, hurts the reputation of China, disrupts social stability or promotes pornography. Providers will be required to delete and report such content.

The concern of China’s censors to protect the country’s people from outside points of view was particularly evident during a five-yearly meeting of the Communist Party leadership late last year. Many sites were blocked for about two to three weeks around the time of the congress with YouTube being among the most prominent casualties. Access was allowed again once the meeting was over.

Few analysts expected such popular Chinese video-sharing sites as tudou.com, 56.com and Yoqoo to disappear after January 31, but they also agreed that the main aim of the new rules are to censor the Internet.

On occasions though, the vetting process can fall short. Last week, television host Hu Ziwei became an overnight internet sensation after she marched on stage, grabbed her husband’s microphone as the camera was rolling, and accused him of adultery. Video of the interrupted show, being recorded for broadcast on China’s main sports channel, has become one of the most viewed items in the Chinese blogosphere.

The video clip has since been removed from such major state-linked sites as sina.com but is still a hot viewing item on smaller private video-sharing suppliers and has become the most talked about event in Chinese cyberspace this week.

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