China has blocked as many as 18,489 illegal websites in 2020, and issued warning notices to 4,551 others, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) revealed on Saturday.
Some of the websites were closed for promoting online games or dating information in the guise of online courses.
Others were punished for spreading illegal material including pornographic and violent content, Xinhua news agency quoted the CAC as saying.
Cyberspace administration departments in 2020 also launched a series of campaigns to purge cyberspace of platforms promoting illegal activities, exerting a negative influence on society and containing information harmful to juveniles.
The CAC continues to direct provincial-level cyberspace administration departments in dealing with illegal websites and online platforms and intensifying law enforcement in this regard.