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Research Journal Publication Faces Censorship in China

According to an BBC article that Cambridge University Press, the world’s oldest publishing house, which has business dealings and a server in China, had blocked over 300 articles on its website in China under Beijing’s pressure. China Quarterly had published those articles, which included such topics as on the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Massacre; Tibet; and the democracy movement in China.

A  specialist on the economy from Beijing University launched a petition asking Cambridge University Press to stand up to China’s censorship. By August 21, over 300 had signed the petition. On the same day, Huanqiu published an article claiming that, in order for institutions from the West to enter China’s market, they must make necessary adjustments; and that there is nothing wrong with what Chinese authorities had done because they were just doing their job according to the law.

The BBC article quoted several Chinese scholars who were concerned that more foreign research journals will face the same fate, that the censorship is unfair to Chinese scholars, and that it will negatively impact research and study work about China.

On August 21, Cambridge University Press unblocked these articles after it received pressure from the academic community.

On August 22, Radio France Internationale reported that Cambridge University Press received a request from State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT) to remove 100 online articles from the Journal of Asian Studies. The Journal of Asian Studies is a publication of the Association for Asian Studies and is headquartered in the U.S. In the statement published on its official website, the Association for Asian Studies expressed its concern over academic freedom and it is talking with Cambridge University Press about how to response to the request from SARFT.

Source:
BBC, August 21, 2017
http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/chinese-news-41004248
Radio France Internationale, August 22, 2017
http://cn.rfi.fr/wire/20170822-北京施压-令剑桥出版社再撤学术文章