Chinese-language Web portal provider Sina.com has become one of the first companies to receive an Internet content provider (ICP) license in China, the company announced Thursday.
The ICP license, granted by China’s Ministry of Information Industry, makes Sina’s China site the first Web portal run by a private company to receive a license for operating an online-content business under China’s new regulations, the company said in a statement.
China’s State Council also granted late last month, Sina and rival Chinese portal provider Sohu.com Inc. licenses to publish online news.
China last year issued a raft of new regulations governing Internet-based content providers, in an effort to clarify the regulatory environment and pave the way for development of the country’s Internet industry.
Sina.com, in Sunnyvale, Calif., can be reached at http://www.sina.com/.