China has halted all approvals of new Internet cafes until the end of this month in a new drive to improve safety standards, said a notice from the police ministry.

Authorities have also stopped screening applications by existing Internet cafes for purchasing new equipment, the Beijing Morning Post reported, citing the notice from the police ministry and other agencies.

The notice reiterates an order to local police departments and cultural authorities to conduct a re-registration campaign among Internet cafes in their areas.

Cafes that for various reasons fail to re-register by October 1 will not be allowed to conduct business, according to the paper.

If the notice is implemented consistently and nationwide, it could mean a major reduction in the number of Internet cafes.

According to the Ministry of Culture, there are more than 200,000 Internet bars in China, of which only 46,000 are legally registered.

A massive fire at an Internet cafe in Beijing killed 24 young people in June. Authorities began to launch a massive overhaul on web cafes.

All 2,400 Internet cafes in Beijing were ordered to close down during the drive, and so far some of them that passes safety inspections have been allowed to reopen.

( People's Daily August 13, 2002)