China steps up crackdown on false advertising

BEIJING -- The State Administration for Industry and Commerce, or SAIC, will intensify its crackdown on false advertising and reinforce a related regulation, an administration official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the administration will directly handle or participate in the handling of serious cases, as well as supervise the handling of cases that occur in two or more provinces or have resulted in "grave social consequences".

Previously, cases concerning illegal advertising in mass media were handled by industry and commerce regulators at the county or provincial level, the official said.

The SAIC has continued to strengthen its regulation of the advertising sector, although the sector's growth was significantly slower than that of the overall economy during the first half.

Business revenues from mass media advertising amounted to 180 billion yuan ($28.6 billion) last year, according to the SAIC's website.

A total of 419,000 illegal advertising cases were handled during the same period, according to the website.