The circumstances surrounding the replacement of Lu Wei as head of the Cyberspace Administration of China in June remain difficult to discern, but the politics surrounding its leadership seem not to have deflected the CAC from its mission to assert more control over cyberspace.

The CAC – also known as the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs – has issued new regulations which took effect on 1 August 2016 and place obligations on providers of mobile internet applications, or “apps”, that seem to mirror those placed on website and social media operators.