Cambridge University Press (CUP), one of the most prominent publishing houses in the world, is facing a recent reputation crisis and a potential bigger crisis in the future. On August 18, multiple media outlets reported that CUP pulled over 300 articles and book reviews from the China Quarterly (CQ) — one of the most renowned journals in the China studies field — from CUP’s China site, under the instruction of China’s General Administration of Press and Publication (GAPP). The news first went viral as a screenshot of an email from CQ’s editor Tim Pringle was posted on social media. According to Pringle’s email, the censored CQ’s articles — published ranging from the recently back to the 1960s — concerned Hong Kong, Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, Tiananmen Square, the Cultural Revolution, and other sensitive topics in China. In addition, CUP also blocked more than 1,000 e-books on similar topics on its China site. CUP told CQ that they complied with China’s instruction to avoid having the entire site shut down in China.
