World of Warcraft's operation finally resumed in China only recently, but it looks like Chinese gamers' celebration will be short-lived. Reuters reports that a Chinese regulatory authority has filed a cease and desist order upon WoW's Chinese licensing partner, NetEase, from continuing operations of the said game in the country.

The said regulatory body is the General Administration of Press and Publication, and they are ordering NetEase to suspend account signups. They are also demanding that the licensing company stop charging the patrons, for the reason that NetEase collected fees and allowed registrations while the game was running as an open beta back in July.

If you'll remember, NetEase took over WoW operations in China from The9 back in July of this year. Liu Ning, a Chinese analyst, said of all this issue, "The chaos is mainly due ot the vague demarcation of responsibilities between GAPP and the Ministry of Culture. It is not yet certain what will happen -- to be honest, it depends on who will finally win: GAPP or the Culture Ministry."

It is yet to be determined whether the GAPP has the authority to give a cease and desist order to NetEase in the first place.

• World of Warcraft now online again in China
• NetEase: WoW operation in China not illegal
  

Via Reuters