China's Culture Ministry has accused the publishing watchdog of abusing its authority by threatening access to the popular online game, "World of Warcraft."

Entrepreneurs are finding the road to Internet riches in China increasingly rough, facing a thicket of regulatory issues, stiff competition and a frontier mentality that leads to frequent underhanded practices.

China's Culture Ministry has accused the publishing watchdog of abusing its authority by threatening access to the popular online game, World of Warcraft, stoking bureaucratic rivalry over control of the Internet.

A Chinese regulator has ordered top online game firm NetEase.com to stop operating a popular title, the result of an apparent governmental turf war highlighting the risks the sector faces.

NetEase.com, one of China's top online game developers, will speed its push into the mobile sector as it looks to capitalize on the country's recent launch of high-speed 3G services, a top executive said.