In the current issue:

Microblogging in China: does it have a future?
Microblogging is seen by many as the next Internet boom area in China picking up the baton from blogs and social networking sites that have blossomed in popularity in recent years. However, as China's leading portals all somewhat coincidentally labeled their microblog pages with a 'trial version' beta tag earlier this month, with all of them going offline for some lengthy periods of 'site maintenance', speculation is rife that this fledgling sector faces tougher government regulation or even being banned amid fears about 'online security'. At the same time, the sector has undergone a rapid commercial transformation with large players coming to dominate the market and piling the pressure on small and medium-sized operators. What is more, market analysts are also questioning the commercial viability of microblogging services given the current lack of a clear revenue-raising model. In this Analysis, China Media Intelligence looks behind these issues and asks what the future might hold for China's rapidly emerging microblog sector.

Regulating online stores: a solution for the past or the future?
From the beginning of this month new regulations came into force in China requiring real name registration from all online traders. The measures are aimed at improving accountability and better protecting consumer rights according to the Chinese authorities, but many traders and industry commentators see the move as a step towards greater bureaucratic regulation of the sector, including the likely imposition of business taxes on online traders. Many complain that with wafer thin margins in the sector having to pay taxes could either force many traders out of business or else could mark the end of the era of cheap bargains online. In this Market Report, China Media Intelligence looks at the motivation for the new regulations and asks how necessary they are. Are they a way of dealing with the problems of the past or a way of moving towards a different view of China's Internet for the future?

Electronic newspaper collaboration launched
Earlier this month the Shenyang Evening News Publishing House and the Shanghai Century Publishing Group announced a new collaboration to launch an electronic version of the Shenyang Evening News

3G investment to reach Rmb120 billion this year
A recent report predicted that China's telecoms operators will spend Rmb120 billion expanding their third generation (3G) mobile networks this year

SARFT to 'give drama guidance'
Recent comments from an offical from the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) made at a trade fair and reported in the Chinese press have raised concerns that the Administration may be about to crack down on television drama content

Baidu consolidates search position
Recent reports suggest that one of the developers of China's contraversial Green Dam Internet surfing control software, Beijing Dazheng Human Language Technology Academy, is in deep financial crisis due to funds drying up from the government