According to a circular posted Saturday on the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) website, all commercials for drugs, medical equipment and health supplements for sexual enhancement should be "resisted and cleansed" by radio and TV broadcasting authorities at all levels.
It also urged broadcasting authorities to tighten control on TV shopping programs, and to verify enterprises’ qualifications before airing their TV shopping commercials.
TV shopping programs are sometimes used by fraudsters to sell shoddy products in China. While Chinese urban residents are more wary TV shopping is relatively newl for people in rural areas.
China Daily reported that according to statistics released by the consumer society of the northeastern province of Jilin, TV shopping program complaints lodged by farmers accounted for 50% of total consumer complaints in the first half of 2009.