Chinese booksellers will be allowed to discount new books during the first year after publication, and to offer discounts of more than 15 percent on books sold online, following an amendment to Chinese publishing regulations released on Wednesday.

The chapter on sales promotion in China's publishing industry rules that prevented these practices was deleted in order to solve a dispute between publishing trade associations and consumers over fair competition in the industry.

Huang Guorong, deputy secretary-general of the Publishers Association of China (PAC), told the Beijing Times that the amendment was a move to comply with China's Anti-Monopoly Law and the demands of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

On January 8, the PAC, the Books and Periodicals Distribution Association of China, and China Xinhua Bookstore Association got government approval to issue "Regulations on Fair Trade in the Book Business." However, the rules limiting discounts on books triggered widespread controversy.

Although the PAC maintained that large discounts would hurt publishers, the opposition, including the Beijing Consumers' Association and the Beijing Lawyer Association's Consumer Protection Committee, argued that the regulations would deprive retailers of their right to set independent prices for books and lead to unfair competition. That would violate China's 2008 Anti-Monopoly Law as well as the rights of consumers who want discounted books. Both sides asked the NDRC to look into the matter.

The original regulation left compliance up to the self-discipline of suppliers and distributors, and the Beijing Times noted that few distributors and online booksellers had so far obeyed the discount limit.