The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China announced that it had granted licenses to operate to three foreign registries: Minds+Machines, .CLUB Domains and XYZ.com (or rather to their subsidiaries registered in China. This means that Chinese users will be able to create their own webpages in the new domains – .VIP, .CLUB and .XYZ respectively. According to the law in China, citizens of the country have a right to register names in any domain zones through Chinese registrars. Chinese investors use this opportunity very actively: according to some estimates, more than 40% of all names registered in the new domains belong to citizens and companies in China. However, to create a webpage they have to get a license. It could be given only if the registry of the domain itself has a license to operate in the country.
Now Chinese registrants who own domains in .VIP, .CLUB and .XYZ have an opportunity to create their own webpages. However, Domain Incite reminds that after being granted a license registry has to comply with Chinese law, which implies very strict Internet censorship. Any Internet resource can be blocked at any moment and for any reason including a very vague “for spreading rumors”. Registries stress that Chinese laws’ requirements solely affect Chinese users and won’t have any influence on registrants in Europe or the US.
