Foreign media without authorization may not publish or forward political news via their public accounts on instant messaging tools in China, according to a rule issued by the nation's Internet watchdog.

Under the rule, which was formulated by the State Internet Information Office and has been effective since August 8, only public accounts operated by news media and some non-journalism institutes with online news service licenses can publish or forward political news.

The rule also covers foreign news agencies, the office said on Monday.

In other words, foreign media must obtain a publication license from Chinese news authorization departments before they publish political news on instant messaging applications, including Wechat, the office said.

Xu Feng, an official with the office, said that all media that intend to publish news on instant messaging platforms should obey the rule. "Foreign agencies are not an exception," he added.