The People's Republic of China promulgated provisional administrative measures and implementing rules for the registration of internet domain names on June 3, 1997.

The office of the State Council information working committee is responsible for the regulation, supervision and administration of domain names.

The domain name system comprises at least three levels of domain names. First level domain names must use a "CN" designation, unless special authorization to do otherwise is obtained. The second level contains six categories of domain names classified either by the type of institution to which the applicant belongs or by the administrative division where the applicant is located. These six categories are "AC" for scientific research institutions; "CO" for industrial, commercial and financial enterprises; "EDU" for educational institutions; "GOV" for government departments; "NET" for network information centers and network operating centers; "ORG" for non-profit organizations. As an alternative, a symbol representing a particular administrative division (or name of a place) may be used as a second level domain name. There are thirty-four such second level designations, representing thirty-four provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities under central Chinese government control; these include, inter alia, "BJ" for Beijing, "SH" for Shanghai, etc.

A third level domain name designation may consist of a maximum of twenty characters comprising letters of the alphabet (A to Z) or numerals (0 to 9) or a combination of both.

In order to qualify for registration, an applicant cannot be an individual and must be a registered entity in China. Foreign enterprises or institutions cannot apply if they do not have a registered branch or representative office in China and an internet account with a Chinese internet service provider.

The government authorities do not conduct searches of registered company names or trademarks as part of the domain name registration process and are not liable for infringement of such names and marks.

While a registered domain name can be amended or cancelled, it cannot be transferred or sold.