China's industry ministry has told technology companies including Alibaba Group Ltd (9988.HK) and Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) to stop blocking each other's website links from their platforms, the 21st Century Business Herald said Saturday, APA reports citing Reuters.
The newspaper, citing unnamed sources, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology proposed standards to companies on Friday for instant messaging services, telling them all platforms must be unblocked by a certain time.
The ministry said it may have to resort to other measures if the firms did not comply, the newspaper said.
The move is the latest in a regulatory crackdown spanning industries from tech to entertainment and gaming companies.