Wu Jun on regulation of online advertising in China

World Today

Wei Zexi is the 21-year-old college student who died following a military hospital’s experimental cancer treatment, advertised on China’s search engine Baidu.

Following his death, the National Health and Family Planning Commission is ordering all hospitals to vet and pay closer attention to medical advertisements. The commission ordered hospitals to eliminate any case of false marketing information.

The health authorities stressed that all hospitals should take extra precaution in experimental treatments.

Both the hospital and Baidu are under heavy fire from the public. People are criticizing Baidu over its internet ethic.

As the case has sparked nationwide outrage, it has also focused attention on online advertising in China.

CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke to Wu Jun, who specializes in media and telecommunications law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.