FILE PHOTO: A view shows traffic during evening rush hour at the central business district (CBD) in Beijing, China, January 15, 2021. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo

BEIJING (Reuters) -China's industry ministry on Wednesday said it would launch a three-month campaign to crack down on false marketing and other online irregularities in the automotive sector.

The crackdown comes after regulations were tightened in May against an extended price war that has bruised automakers, suppliers and dealers in the world's largest auto market.

The dissemination of negative topics relating to automakers by any parties with the intent of profiting off it would be in the regulatory crossfire, the industry ministry said in a statement.

The ministry would make efforts to curb fake and misleading marketing online, and the organisation and manipulation of online trolls to smear rivals, it added.

Automakers and online platforms, which the ministry didn't name, would have to take measures to rectify irregularities, according to the statement.

China's electric vehicle and hybrid sales grew at the slowest pace in one and a half years last month as the government continued efforts to halt excessive competition.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Bernadette Baum)