PRC Government Structure Report, General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP)

General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP) *

Director:	Liu Binjie
Deputy Directors:	Li Dongdong Wu Shulin Yan Xiaohong Sun Shoushan
Address:	85 Dongsi Nandajie, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100703
Telephone:	86-10-6521-2801; 86-10-6521-2798
Website:	www.gapp.gov.cn

Departments:	General Office; Planning and Finance; Policy, Law, and Regulation; Book Publishing Management (Planning Office of Ancient Book Compilation and Publication); Newspaper and Magazine Publishing; Audio/Video Products, Electronic & Internet Publications; Printing and Copy Management; Publication Distribution Management; Publication Market Supervision Bureau; Copyright Administration; Personnel and Education; External Exchange and Cooperation; Bureau of Retired Officials; CCP Committee; Discipline Inspection Group and Supervision Bureau

Responsibilities

Draft and supervise the implementation of laws, regulations, policies, management principles, and development plans concerned with press, publications, and copyrights
Supervise the publishing, printing, copying and distribution of publications, including audio and video products, textbooks, and Communist Party and state documents
Administer the import and export of books, magazines, newspapers, and electronic publications
Censor publications that reveal "state secrets" (any information about China that the Chinese leadership does not want to be widely disseminated), contain anything deemed by the government to have an unhealthy impact on readers, contain pornography or indecent material, improperly criticize the government, or release "inaccurate" information
Investigate copyright infringement, handle copyright relations with other countries, and deal with contraband, pornographic, and illegal publications
Endorse new publishing houses (that publish books, audio and video products, newspapers, magazines, and electronic publications) and general distribution units for such publications
Regulate the establishment of new audio and video production facilities, electronic publication copying agencies, newspaper groups, copyright and patent agent offices dealing with imported publications, and related Sino-foreign joint ventures and cooperative enterprises

In August 2003, GAPP began to reform the traditional system of China's state-owned newspaper and periodical management, with the main goal of stopping mandatory subscriptions to Communist Party and government-run newspapers and periodicals. Up to 1,452 party and government newspapers have been affected by this reform, 677 of which suspended publication. The reform is meant to weed out publications that yield no social or economic benefits and to relieve financial burdens on farmers and grass-roots enterprises. Experts also expect the reform to open the Chinese press to competition. Since China's WTO entry, the press and publications sector has had to liberalize, as China's accession commitments require China to permit foreign participation in the distribution of books, newspapers, and magazines.

Return to PART VI: State Council Directly Administered Offices