TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese talent agents will have to uphold the constitution of China to be able to work in that country, according to a new directive.

The guideline mandates that individuals from China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan who are employed as booking agents in various entertainment businesses in China must annually obtain a certificate via exam before they are allowed to engage in such work. The regulation enters into effect on March 1, 2022, according to an announcement by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Friday (Dec. 24).

One of the requirements is compliance with an ordinance governing commercial performances, prohibiting behaviors that violate the Chinese constitution or jeopardize "national unification" or national security, among others. Agents are also told to supervise their clients to ensure they abide by the law and establish a good reputation.

The move comes amid Beijing’s broader crackdown on fandom culture and artists found to have evaded taxes, solicited prostitutes, or engaged in other activities that would “taint” them as part of a bid to exert greater control over the entertainment market.

In the latest example, Chinese state media outlet the Global Times has called for Wang Leehom (王力宏) to be frozen out. The mouthpiece decried the Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter, who has been hugely popular in China, as “an unscrupulous artist” for the scandal involving his marriage.