A Guangzhou-based cartoonist has been suspended over the publication of his depiction of a weeping Chinese President Hu Jintao .
Kuang Biao received word yesterday afternoon from the editorial board of News Express, a local daily that has a progressive reputation, that he would be immediately suspended for one month.
The 40-year-old said he believed it was a pre-emptive move taken by the newspaper to protect him from further punishment by the central propaganda authorities.
'It's a gesture by the newspaper to show that action has been taken against their wayward journalist,' he said.
'Sometimes in China, a good offence is the best defence.'
Under the largely symbolic punitive measure, Kuang is still allowed to draw for other publications but only by using a pseudonym.