Officials deny it is part of a broader crackdown on media on the mainland
Officials are hoping that a temporary subscription ban on newspapers and periodicals produced by government departments will help to clean up a sector known for waste and bureaucracy.
The ban was issued late last month in a joint circular by the propaganda department of the Communist Party, the State Press and Publications Administration, and the State Postal Bureau. Newspapers and periodicals - except scientific journals - were told to stop accepting further subscription orders until the end of September.
An official with the publication administration said yesterday that the government was preparing lists of newspapers and periodicals to be shut down in coming months.
However, he pointed out that most of these newspapers and periodicals targeted in the clean-up catered for restricted readership - usually within government bodies or institutions.
The majority of the publications were financed by government bodies which in turn mandated their units and departments to subscribe to these newspapers and periodicals. However, many subscribers - government bodies themselves - complained they did not want to waste money on the subscription.