China vows to curb imposed newspaper subscriptions

China's publishing watchdog on Saturday pledged to put an end to imposed newspaper and magazine subscriptions.

Authorities at all levels should take enhanced measures to reorganize subscriptions to Party newspapers and periodicals, while "strictly forbidding" all forms of apportionment and imposed subscription, according to a circular from the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP).

It specified that government-funded subscriptions should be made among a fixed catalog of newspapers and periodicals.

Moreover, departments or public institutions administering the operation of newspaper organizations and periodical publishers should not set targets such as "increased circulation," said the circular.

The GAPP also prohibits designating distribution quotas to reporters or editors, while requiring publishing authorities to coordinate with other government agencies of supervision, discipline inspection and auditing to facilitate the campaign, it added.

In 2011, 9,849 kinds of periodicals and 1,928 newspapers were printed and distributed in China, with their print circulation reaching 3.29 billion copies and 46.74 billion, respectively.

The total revenue was 16.3 billion yuan (2.6 billion U.S. dollars) for periodicals and 81.9 billion yuan for newspapers, according to an annual industry report from the GAPP.