Sina Weibo has banned users from promoting the country's most popular messaging app WeChat on its platform as the two Internet giants battle for users.

Nasdaq-listed Weibo (WB, quote) said in a statement that it would crack down on users disseminating QR (quick response) codes and other marketing information.

Weibo did not name WeChat, but the instant messaging platform widely uses QR to enable users to "follow" others by simply scanning.

State media portrayed the move as an escalation in the rivalry between the Internet giants. "War escalates as Weibo bans users promoting WeChat," Xinhua news agency reported yesterday.

WeChat is owned by Shenzhen-based Tencent (TCEHY, quote), and had 468 million monthly active users in the third quarter.

Weibo, which has steadily lost users to WeChat, saw its user numbers drop 9 percent during 2013 to 281 million, data from the China (FXI, quote) Internet Network Information Center showed. Users say WeChat is more versatile and easier to use.

E-commerce giant Alibaba, a bitter rival of Tencent, holds 32 percent stake in Weibo.

Tencent and Alibaba have locked horns before. WeChat blocked promotion of Kuaidi Dache, Alibaba's taxi booking service, a week ago. Alibaba's (ABAB, quote) consumer-to-consumer platform Taobao and its online payment service Alipay have in turn barred WeChat users.

Content Curiosity of China.org.cn