An Apple store employee gives a class on how to use the iPad 2 at an Apple Store in central Beijing. (Photo : Reuters)
In a bid to get China’s traditional publishing houses to expand online, Chinese authorities have issued a document Thursday pushing for the creation of digital publishing groups in the country.
The document, published by China's censorship watchdog, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT), and the Ministry of Finance, laid down a proposal for digital publishing groups that will become "strong, influential, and credible" within three to five years.
Traditional and digital publications must complement each other and grow in an integrated way, the document stated, adding that additional government funding that is related to integration should also be invested into these programs.
In a statement released by the SAPPRFT on Thursday, the integration of traditional and digital publications is necessary for the country to meet the challenges brought about by rapid development in information technology.
In addition, the statement stressed that the core socialist values should be reflected in the integration and must follow the political directions of China's Communist Party.
China's digital publishing industry has been experiencing surging growth in recent years. According to data from the SAPPRFT published in 2012, digital publishers reported a record-breaking year-on-year revenue increase of 40.5 percent, which is equivalent to 193.55 billion yuan ($31.55 billion), or 11.6 percent of the revenue of the country's entire publishing industry.
It was the first time that sales growth from digital publishing--which includes digital publications, online music, online cartoons, Internet games, mobile phone games and Internet advertisement--reached beyond 10 percent, the report added.
