The ban comes as Chinese companies seek to comply with Beijing’s diktat against speculative activity in non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

See related article: China’s diktat against NFT flipping spawns an ingenious industry

Fast facts

• WeChat banned the official account of a Chinese NFT platform for “business activities related to secondary trading of digital collectibles or cryptocurrency.”

• “Digital collectibles” is a phrase used in China to avoid reference to NFTs due to state media denouncing speculative activities surrounding the digital assets.

• The NFT marketplace, named “NFtea,” offers a platform to trade “digital collectibles” featuring high-end tea products.

• Official accounts on the ubiquitous Chinese social messaging app are subject to disciplinary action or even a permanent ban if found involved in flipping “digital collectibles.”

• In a People’s Daily commentary published on Thursday, National Press and Publication Administration blockchain copyright director Liu Tianjiao wrote that digital collectibles will enjoy copyright protection only after a review.

See related article: China-run media outlet criticizes NFT platform as a payment risk