All newspapers and periodicals, apart from scientific journals, have been ordered not to
accept further subscription orders until the end of September. The directive by the Com-
munist Party's propaganda department, the State Press and Publications Administration
and the State Postal Bureau was designed to prepare the industry for a major clean-up,
according to an official quoted by China Business Times.
All publications in China are
published by government units or affiliates to official organisations. Many government
departments force staff to subscribe to publications that they finance, but this is
increasingly seen as a waste of money since many titles lack popular appeal.