12/31/2001

BEIJING, Dec 31 (Reuters) - China announced new rules on the publishing sector on Monday, as the ruling [party's name omitted] maintains a tight grip on the mass media in the world's most populous country.

The rules, which go into effect on February 1, ban published material deemed harmful to social stability and set out guidelines for importing publications including books, magazines and CDs, the Xinhua news agency said.

The [party's name omitted] is keen to ensure social stability in 2002, a year made uncertain by a leadership shuffle and the threat of mass unemployment from wrenching economic reform, analysts say.

The rules offer Beijing an added weapon to control print media and publishers, although those sectors were already heavily regulated in China, they say.

The rules ban the promotion of cults and what is deemed "superstitious" material, Xinhua said.

That clause could allow Beijing to come down hard on publishers of material promoting the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which Beijing outlawed as an "[Jiang Zemin government's slanderous term omitted] " in 1999.

China guarantees religious freedom in its constitution but allows worship only through state-controlled religious bodies and has outlawed 17 underground church organisations.

The rules also ban printed material that "disturbs social order" or "destroys social stability", Xinhua said, which typically refers to politically sensitive topics, such as human rights or independence for Tibet and Taiwan.

Newspapers, periodicals, digital publications such as CDs, and books including textbooks would be affected by the rules, it said.

The rules said companies seeking to import foreign publications must meet several conditions, including a minimum registered capital and a fixed place of business, Xinhua said.

They threaten fines for publications renting out their publishing licence to other publications five to ten times the amount of money made in the illegal transactions, it said.