News anchors and TV guests must speak in Mandarin and should avoid dialects and foreign languages, according to a notice from the country's media regulator.

The notice, issued on Friday by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, said news anchors should avoid using Chinese dialects or expressions that are region-specific and Internet slang words and phrases, unless the programs have specific requirements.

News anchors should avoid "unnecessary foreign languages" during programs, it said.

The notice also applied to TV pundits and guests as television stations are required to guide them on the proper use of language during live shows.

The notice does not apply to TV and radio programs that are broadcast in the languages of ethnic groups.

The measure aims to further promote the use of Mandarin and regulate the use of languages during TV shows, the notice said.

A spokesman for the media regulator, who was not identified in the notice, said on Friday that many entertainment programs, especially talent shows, use local dialects, and the authority ordered them to switch to Mandarin.

The notice said television stations nationwide should include Mandarin as an important assessment criterion for TV anchors and reporters, and TV programs that do not follow the notice will be banned.

The authority said it will revise the code of ethics for news anchors at TV and radio stations and add specific requirements for Mandarin standards.

An official at the Hunan Satellite TV station said the broadcaster has informed all its anchors of the notice, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Despite the government's effort to promote Mandarin nationwide, about 30 percent of the population, or 400 million people, cannot speak it, and a large number of people do not speak Mandarin well, according to the Ministry of Education.

[email protected]