Market-oriented reform in Chinese scholarly publishing

The Chinese government initiated a policy of 'corporatization of cultural entities' in 2003. Most Chinese book publishing houses were required to complete this transformation by 2006 and journal publishers by 2012. Chinese academic publishers, who no longer receive any general subsidies and allowances from government, have struggled to survive since then. During the reform process, many Chinese journals charged their authors page fees, and academic book publishers raised the prices of their publications. The continuing existence of other subsidies, however, means that there is still a degree of dependency in the Chinese system, and it will take time for its academic publishers to grow into real market players and to enhance their competitiveness. (C) Fang Qing and Xu Lifang