China Science Publishing & Media

What China Science Publishing & Media does

China Science Publishing & Media Co., Ltd. (Science Press, 中国科技出版传媒股份有限公司) is a central-level scientific and technical publishing enterprise headquartered in Beijing and controlled by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Established in 1954, restructured in 2011, and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in January 2017 (ticker: 601858) — the first central publishing institution to list on China's A-share market — the company operates four business segments: book publishing (over 4,600 new titles per year spanning Science, Technology, Medicine, Education, and Humanities/Social Sciences), academic journal publishing (800+ journals, including 380+ English-language titles, with 200+ indexed in Web of Science and 100+ in Q1 quartile), knowledge services (digital databases, e-books, and learning platforms), and import/export of publications. It maintains 21 subsidiaries and overseas branches in France (EDP Sciences, acquired) and Japan.

The company's core technology platform is SciEngine, an independently developed, full-chain journal publishing and service platform that supports online peer review management, XML automated typesetting, and integration with CrossRef, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for global content distribution. Complementing SciEngine is the Science Online portal (sciencereading.cn), which aggregates specialized knowledge bases including the China Biological Flora Database (~100,000 species), Bencao Digital Chinese Medicinal Herbs Database, Paleontology Stratigraphy Knowledge Base, and the Single-Gene Disease Diagnosis Knowledge Service Platform. The group also operates the Science Mall (ecsponline.com) e-commerce platform with 84,303 book titles and 10,390 e-books, and runs a joint venture with Elsevier (KeAi Publishing) for high-level English-language journal services.

The company generates revenue through one-time book sales, recurring journal subscriptions, digital knowledge service subscriptions, import/export transaction fees, and B2B institutional partnerships. Distribution combines a direct sales force, a nationwide authorized reseller network, an owned e-commerce storefront (Science Mall), third-party platforms (Tmall, JD.com), and overseas branches. Its primary customers are higher education institutions, research bodies, and university libraries in China, with a secondary footprint in K-12 education (Longmen Book Bureau) and international institutional clients. The company has been named to the Global Top 50 Publishers list for seven consecutive years, ranking 38th in 2025, and remains the only Chinese single-body publisher on the list.

Name

China Science Publishing & Media

Legal name

中国科技出版传媒股份有限公司

Website

https://sciencep.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

China Science Publishing & Media (Science Press) is a CAS-controlled, Shanghai-listed (601858) Chinese publishing conglomerate operating book publishing (4,600+ titles/year), 800+ academic journals via its SciEngine platform, knowledge services, and publication import/export, serving universities, research institutions, and libraries with both domestic and France/Japan overseas operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Periodical Publishers (513120), Other Publishers (51319), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical, Clinical & Biomedical Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAB), Life Sciences (Biology, Ecology, Agriculture) Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAC), Medical & Clinical Reference (Physicians, Nursing, Allied Health) (EDAGAGAA), Popular Science, Technology & Nature Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAJ), STM Publishing (Science, Technical & Medical) (MPAJABAD)

Keywords

• Academic publishing
• Scientific journals
• Science books
• Digital knowledge services
• STM publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Beijing Shi

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. 图书出版业务: 年出版新书规模达4600多种（2016年数据），包括科学、技术、医学、教育、人文社科等领域图书销售
2. 期刊出版业务: 出版期刊800余种，其中英文期刊380余种，由《中国科学》杂志社有限责任公司、法国EDP Sciences出版社、北京科爱森蓝文化传播有限公司、北京中科期刊出版有限公司等子公司从事期刊出版业务
3. 进出口业务: 通过北京中科进出口有限责任公司从事出版物进出口业务，从美、德、荷、英、新、日、韩等主要出版国家引进各学科各类型出版物及数据库、软件平台等产品
4. 知识服务: 提供数字资源服务，包括电子书、科学智库、中国生物志库、本草数典中药知识库、中科医学资源库等数字产品和服务

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

China Science Publishing & Media (Science Press) is a state-owned comprehensive scientific and technical publishing institution operating four core business segments: (1) Book publishing spanning Science, Technology, Medicine, Education, and Humanities/Social Sciences with over 4,600 new titles annually; (2) Journal publishing through its proprietary SciEngine platform managing 800+ academic journals including flagship titles such as National Science Review and Science China; (3) Import/export of scholarly publications and databases; and (4) Digital knowledge services encompassing specialized databases (China Biological Flora, Bencao Digital, Paleontology Stratigraphy), digital learning platforms, e-commerce, and ebooks. The company serves universities, research institutions, and individual consumers with the largest domestic portfolio of scientific publishing content.

Product overview

China Science Publishing & Media (Science Press, 中国科技出版传媒股份有限公司) operates as a diversified publishing conglomerate with four core business segments: (1) Book Publishing — spanning Science (S), Technology (T), Medicine (M), Education (E), and Humanities/Social Sciences (H) across over 4,600 new titles annually; (2) Journal Publishing through the SciEngine platform — a self-developed, independently controllable journal publishing and service platform with full-chain capabilities including peer review management, XML automated typesetting, and global distribution via CrossRef, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, publishing 800+ journals including National Science Review, Science China, Science Bulletin, and 100+ Q1区 titles; (3) Knowledge Services — delivered through the Science Online portal (sciencereading.cn) aggregating specialized knowledge bases (China Biological Flora Database, Bencao Digital Chinese Medicinal Herbs, Paleontology Stratigraphy, Single-Gene Disease Diagnosis), digital learning platforms (Zhongke Student Aid, Zhongke Medical Resources), the Science Library with 40,000+ ebooks, and interactive science popularization; and (4) Import-Export Business through Beijing Zhongke Import-Export subsidiary. The group also operates internationally through EDP Sciences in France and KeAi Publishing (joint venture with Elsevier), maintaining 21 subsidiaries and overseas branches, making it China's largest comprehensive science publishing institution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Book Publishing Business (图书业务) Core book publishing business spanning five major academic domains — Science, Technology, Medicine, Education, and Humanities & Social Sciences — making it China's largest comprehensive science publishing institution, with annual new book output exceeding 4,600 titles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 年出版新书规模4600多种
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 中国科学院计算机网络信息中心coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Data Express数据期刊集群发布方，中国科学院系统推进数据出版标准规范研制与数字学术基础设施建设的重要合作单位。
• 清华大学coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2026联合主办"智能网联汽车前沿技术丛书"第一次编委会，李克强院士担任丛书主编，双方在智能网联汽车领域开展学术专著合作出版。
• 中国原子能科学研究院minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2026联合主办"放射性废物管控与环境安全丛书"第一次编委会，柴之芳、侯立安、汪华林三位院士及张生栋研究员担任主编。
• 吉林大学minorStrategic or Co-development Partner合作建设"晶体结构3D模型"资源库，共建设11个晶体模型，按照7大晶系进行分类。
• 中国科学院金属研究所minorStrategic or Co-development Partner共同创办材料期刊网，为材料领域作者、读者、期刊、企业提供信息发布和个性化综合服务平台。
• 中国科学院coreOthers中国科学院主管主办的中央级科技出版机构，公司实际控制人，通过中国科学院控股有限公司持有公司股份。
• ElseviercoreTechnology or Integration与Elsevier合资创办北京科爱森蓝传播有限公司，为中国英文版科技期刊提供高水平、国际化编辑出版服务，并利用Elsevier和科学出版社品牌创办高水平英文版期刊。
• 中国科学院coreOthers《科学世界》杂志由中国科学院白春礼院长亲任编委会主任，为科学院科学传播体系的重要组成部分。

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wiley: Wiley is a major academic and scientific publisher with significant journal and book operations, including partnerships with Chinese institutions. Comparable in producing both English-language journals and STEM scholarly books, and competing for the same international author pool.
• Pearson: Pearson is one of the world's largest education and book publishers with strong presence in textbooks, digital learning, and assessment. Comparable in scale of educational publishing and digital knowledge services, though with greater focus on K-12 and English-language markets.
• Elsevier (RELX): Elsevier is the world's largest STM publisher and operates ScienceDirect, the dominant academic journal platform. China Science Publishing & Media partners with Elsevier via KeAi Publishing JV and competes with it in the Chinese-language journal market — the most directly comparable international peer.
• Oxford University Press: Oxford University Press is one of the largest university presses globally with extensive journal and monograph programs across STM and humanities. Comparable in scholarly journal scale, academic book publishing, and brand prestige in international academia.
• Springer Nature: Springer Nature is a leading global academic publisher (Nature, Springer, BMC) with comparable journal portfolio breadth and STM book publishing focus. Directly competes with Science Press for international Chinese-authored research and serves overlapping institutional customers (universities, research institutes).
• Taylor & Francis (Informa): Taylor & Francis is a major academic journal publisher with thousands of peer-reviewed titles across humanities, social sciences, and STM. Comparable in journal portfolio scale and operates Chinese-focused publishing partnerships; competes for international Chinese-authored research.
• Wolters Kluwer: Wolters Kluwer operates a large academic/professional publishing division including Lippincott and Ovid, with strong medical and clinical content focus. Comparable in medical publishing (an area where Science Press has a significant presence via Zhongke Medical Resources) and operates journal platforms similar to SciEngine.

Direct peers

• World Scientific Publishing: World Scientific is a Singapore-based scientific publisher with strong Asian academic roots, publishing journals and books across STM. Comparable in Asia-focused scientific publishing strategy and serves a similar author base across Chinese, Southeast Asian, and international researchers.
• China Social Sciences Press (CASS Press): China Social Sciences Press is the academic publishing arm of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, focused on humanities and social sciences scholarly books and journals. Comparable as a Chinese government-affiliated academic publisher with similar regulatory positioning and customer base (universities and research institutes).
• Higher Education Press (China): Higher Education Press is China's other leading academic publisher, focused on textbooks and STM journals including Chinese Science Bulletin and a portfolio of university-level textbooks. Closest direct competitor in the Chinese-language academic publishing market, with similar government affiliation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about China Science Publishing & Media