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Issue October 2026

China advertising rules in 2026

Paid media in mainland China runs on domestic platforms: Baidu for search, Tencent across WeChat and its apps, and ByteDance’s Ocean Engine for Douyin and Toutiao. The rules around them tightened in steps. The Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising have applied since 1 May 2023, the Network Data Security Management Regulations since 1 January 2025, and mandatory personal information compliance audits since 1 May 2025. Foreign brands entering in 2026 should plan for local accounts, local data handling and audit-ready records from the first campaign.

Executive findings

  1. 1

    The Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising, issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation, took effect on 1 May 2023 and replaced the 2016 interim measures.

    Secondary source. Scope: Mainland China; law firm summary, as of . [1]

  2. 2

    The Measures for Personal Information Protection Compliance Audits apply from 1 May 2025 and cover self-initiated and regulator-mandated audits.

    Secondary source. Scope: Mainland China; law firm summary of CAC measures, as of . [2]

  3. 3

    The Network Data Security Management Regulations took effect on 1 January 2025 and build on the Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law and PIPL, with some extraterritorial reach.

    Secondary source. Scope: Mainland China; law firm analysis, as of . [3]

  4. 4

    Baidu, Tencent and Ocean Engine each run self-serve advertising platforms for the domestic market.

    Documented: official source. Scope: Mainland China; official platform sites, as of . [4]

Method and limitations
Question
What changed in advertising rules and platform options in mainland China during 2025 and 2026, and what should an advertiser do about it?
Written for
Marketing leads and founders planning paid media in mainland China.
Decision at stake
Which compliance steps to complete before launch, and which channels deserve a test budget this year.
Sources
Law firm analyses of the internet advertising measures, the PI compliance audit measures and the network data regulations, and the official advertising sites of Baidu, Tencent and Ocean Engine.
Period
Official and professional sources as published on 18 October 2026.
Markets
mainland China, national rules and the platform policies that apply there
Definitions
  • PI compliance audit: a review of whether personal information handling complies with the PIPL, carried out by the company or required by a regulator.
Limitations
  • This briefing is not legal or tax advice. Confirm obligations with qualified local counsel before acting.
  • Rules and platform terms change; each source shows the date we read it.

The rule set an advertiser works within

Secondary source

The internet advertising measures sit under the Advertising Law and cover paid search, feeds, pop-ups, live-stream commerce and influencer content. Ads must be identifiable as advertising, and pop-up ads must be easy to close. Platforms are responsible for checking advertiser qualifications in regulated categories such as health, finance and education.

Data rules apply in parallel. The PIPL requires a legal basis and notice for personal data, the 2025 network data regulations add obligations for processors, and compliance audits are now a formal duty rather than good practice.

Which platforms carry the plan

Documented: official source

Baidu Marketing covers search and information-feed ads. Tencent Ads reaches users across WeChat, QQ and Tencent’s content apps. Ocean Engine sells ads on Douyin, Toutiao and other ByteDance products. Most consumer brands also sell on marketplaces, where in-platform ads are often the strongest lever close to purchase.

Opportunities this year

FOCUSADS view

Short video and live-stream commerce on Douyin and WeChat Channels let brands link content and sales inside one platform, with measurement that does not depend on third-party cookies. Search on Baidu remains the place to capture explicit intent. FOCUSADS plans for China are built on these domestic platforms, with local account ownership and data handling designed for audit from day one.

How this connects to our method: How market rules enter the plan

References

  1. China’s new Internet Advertising Measures to take effect on 1 May 2023, Hogan Lovells (JD Supra), accessed
  2. Data protection compliance audits to take effect in China in 2025, Latham & Watkins (JD Supra), accessed
  3. China clarifies privacy and data security requirements in Network Data Security Management Regulations, Latham & Watkins, accessed
  4. 百度营销 (Baidu Marketing), Baidu, accessed
  5. 腾讯广告 (Tencent Ads), Tencent, accessed
  6. 巨量引擎 (Ocean Engine), ByteDance, accessed

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