Eight government agencies have said they will tighten supervision of geographical information available online, the official China Daily reported.

Authorities will close down most of the nearly 10,000 online websites in China since they show maps without approval, said Mr Min Yiren, deputy director of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping.

'Some websites publish sensitive or confidential geographical information, which might leak state secrets and threaten security,' Mr Min said.

Authorities have set up a hotline for the public to report illegal websites, he said.

The campaign will also target sites that identify Taiwan, which China regards as part of its territory awaiting reunification, as a separate country, Mr Min said.

Taiwan and China have been ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949.

China previously ordered foreigners who engaged in surveying and mapping to obtain government approval and to accept supervision.

The mapping bureau has said that foreigners who illegally survey, gather and publish geographical information on China will be 'severely punished'. -- AFP