BEIJING: China will bring to an end anonymous online comments and "harmful information" on the Internet would be monitored, an official said.

Wang Chen, director of the State Council Information Office, said China would strengthen its monitoring on "harmful information" on the Internet in an attempt to prevent "overseas hostile forces from infiltrating through the Internet", China Daily reported on Tuesday.

In his Friday speech, which was published by the People's Daily, Wang said that for the first time major news websites and business portals in China have already complied with the rule of no-anonymity on comment.

China would also intensify its crackdown on online crimes, leading to 5,510 suspects being detained last year, said Wang.

The official said that tough measures would be employed to tackle online pornography, gambling and fraud as the country has witnessed a growing population of over 400 million internet users.