The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) banned foreign companies from direct involvement in the operations of all TV and radio stations on Tuesday, according to yesterday's Beijing Morning Post.

It said they should not rent channels to foreign companies, and that local stations must not cooperate with them on regular and live programs.

All kinds of cooperation between TV and radio stations and foreign companies have to be approved by the administration's provincial branches.

The SARFT issued a notice on March 4 tightening controls on joint TV and radio production ventures set up with foreign firms, but this did not specifically cover channel operations.

The Beijing Morning Post article said there had been progress in cooperation between Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and a Chinese Communist Youth League film and television production center in the operation of Qinghai Satellite TV Station in western China since January.

A leading official from the station said the work had been cancelled, and had not involved cooperation on production or advertising operations.

(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan July 14, 2005)