Chinese property mogul silenced for criticizing state media

The statement does not specify what kind of comments the users had published or who was affected, EFE news reported.

Mr Ren had published “illegal messages that had a bad impact”, according to the administration’s spokesperson Jiang Jun.

The administration also vowed to intensify its efforts to monitor and manage online information and content, adding that it would not allow the users of the closed accounts to register again under different names.

Ren, who stepped down as chairman of real estate firm Beijing Huayuan in 2011, has long posted blunt comments online, criticizing everything from property prices to politics.

Chinese netizens call him the “cannon” for his outspokenness, such as saying poor young migrant workers who can not afford an apartment in cities should return to the countryside. The blog belonging to Ren Zhiqiang, which boasted 38 million followers, was removed by the Chinese state for, what it describes as its “vile” influence.

Xi had visited the three main party broadcasters, publishers and state media organisations affirming that all Chinese news media had to serve the ruling party.

They also suggested that members like Ren should be expelled from the Party.

His account could not be found in a search on Sunday at Weibo.com, owned by Sina Corp, or t.qq.com, owned by Tencent Holdings.

He Hui, head of the Public Relations and Public Opinion Institute of the Communication University of China, said shutting down his Weibo accounts is a move to maintain the country’s interests in accordance with laws.

But it is rare for the government to issue a statement about a particular case. Aside from a popular blogger in China, Ren is also a property developer.

The CAC announced Friday that it had shut down 580 social media accounts which “misled the public” or “violated regulations”, including the accounts of several Internet celebrities. It accused them of “ignoring their social responsibilities, abusing their influence, staining the honor of the state and disrupting social order”.