China steps up online controls with new rule for bloggers

Commuters wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus browse their smartphones inside a subway train in Beijing. China’s Internet watchdog is cracking down further on online speech, issuing a new requirement that bloggers and influencers have a license before they can publish on certain topics. — AP

TAIPEI, Taiwan: Ma Xiaolin frequently wrote about current affairs on one of China’s leading microblogging sites, where he has two million followers. But recently, he said in a post, the Weibo site called and asked him not to post original content on topics ranging from politics to economic and military issues.

“As an international affairs researcher and a columnist, it looks like I can only go the route of entertainment, food and beverage now,” the international relations professor wrote on Jan 31.