China has banned 2,000 television and radio ads promoting female underwear and other "sexually suggestive" items, state press reported, amid a wave of censorship ahead of a major Communist Party gathering.

Advertisements for breast enhancements and female underwear are "vulgar", the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television said in a statement published by the official Xinhua news agency late on Wednesday.

Other ads that have been banned over the past fortnight for being "sexually suggestive" involve sex-related health supplements, drugs for sexually transmitted diseases and sex toys, the administration said.

"The (administration) has always called on all media to hold onto their sense of responsibility but some of them surrendered to audience ratings and profits and caused a vile impact," the statement said.
About 2,000 ads have been pulled off TV and radio airwaves over the past fortnight, according to the administration.

China's rulers keep China's television and radio stations, like all sections of the media, on a tight leash.

But the censorship has toughened in recent weeks ahead of the Communist Party's five-yearly Congress, with the nation's leaders at pains to present the nation in the best possible light and avoid any controversies.

TV shows deemed unacceptable have also been banned, while news bulletins have been dominated by items extolling the great work of the party.