Not content with overseeing some of the most tightly censored media outlets in the world, the Chinese Government has drafted a Bill which enables fines for newspapers that report about emergencies without official approval.

Media outlets could face fines ranging from £3,500 to £7,000 if they fail to seek permission from local authorities before reporting about riots, disasters, strikes or outbreaks of disease.

Local governments will be required to disseminate information on emergencies in a timely manner, but not if the reports would affect the handling of a crisis. The official Xinhua news agency said that the Bill was a reaction to errors in the handling of the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in 2003.

Sars originated in China, and the country was widely condemned for an initial cover-up that enabled the virus to spread. It had been expected that the censors would relax their controls to prevent a recurrence of the embarrassing incident, but the officials who are charged with vetting information available to the public have tightened their grip in recent months.

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