After more than 30 years of market reform on the mainland, it may finally be the media's turn to embrace capitalism, whether they want to or not.
Unlike other industries that have moved from state to semi-private ownership, most media on the mainland - television, radio, newspapers - are wholly owned by the state. But by the end of the year, that might begin to change.
In May, the General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP), the central government's regulator and censor for print media, said that by the end of the year more than 6,000 non-political newspapers and periodicals would be turned into for-profit enterprises.
However, little has been done so far as the leadership debates whether bringing private enterprise to the media will result in a loss of control over content.
'[The delay] shows that those in the upper level still have different understandings of the role of media,' said Dr Yin Hong, deputy dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University.
But one thing is clear. However Beijing reshapes the media industry, the press will not be unfettered. Beijing's aim was for the media to continue to act as the party's mouthpiece but also generate profits, said Qiao Mu, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University. Free speech is not part of the bargain.
'The government wants to turn the media into a rooster that is capable of both crowing and egg-laying,' Qiao said. Beijing will still appoint top editors, and reporters will still be required to have a press card that is checked annually.