China orders local media to censor Alibaba coverage, says report

A directive issued by the government's propaganda arm ordered news outlets to strictly invoke the official line on the investigation into the tech giant

China has ordered its domestic media to censor reports about an antitrust probe into Alibaba Group Holding, signalling how the issue has become a matter of national political sensitivity, the Financial Times reported.

 

A directive issued by the government’s propaganda arm toward the end of last year ordered news outlets to strictly invoke the official line on the investigation into the tech giant and prohibited them from engaging in extended analysis without permission, the FT said, citing two people who read the order.

 

Billionaire Jack Ma’s empire has become the most prominent target of China’s campaign against the technology industry, which as so far torpedoed affiliate Ant Group Co.’s $35 billion initial public offering and led to an antitrust investigation at the e-commerce giant.