CNKI maintains monopoly status on journal search and collection in China and charges high annual database subscription fees.
[10]: 108 Published by a unit under Tsinghua University and created with the permission of the National Press and Publication Administration, the database was released as CD-ROMs, with each containing journals of a field.
[11]: 43 In August 1997, the China Academic Journals Electronic Publishing House (CAJEPH) was established under the governance of the National Press and Publication Administration.
By 2022, CNKI has been criticized for its high subscription fees that could be maintained because of its monopoly over journal search and collection service in China.
[19] The regulator also found that CNKI's operator use exclusivity clauses to prohibit tertiary institutions from granting publishing rights of articles and theses to third parties.