Beijing CPC committee vows punishment for Ren Zhiqiang

BEIJING -- A Beijing district committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) pledged severe intraparty penalties for Ren Zhiqiang, a celebrity blogger and property developer whose accounts were closed for allegedly spreading illegal information.

The Xicheng district committee of the CPC on Monday issued a circular saying Ren, "as a CPC member, has been releasing illegal information and making inappropriate comments online, resulting in a vile influence and damage to the party image."

The committee, where Ren's CPC membership is registered and managed, said it would punish him strictly according to party rules.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), China's top Internet regulator, on Sunday ordered closure of Ren's microblog accounts, accusing him of spreading illegal information.

The administration urged celebrity microbloggers and bloggers with huge followings to use their influence correctly, obey the law, accept their due social responsibilities and promote "positive energy."

It vowed intensified monitoring and managing of online information and content, saying that it would not allow users of the closed accounts to register again under other names.