Lolita Hu, director of consumer titles at South China Morning Post -- which holds the licence to publish the title in Hong Kong and China -- confirmed that the delay was down to concerns over the PRC market's more conservative nature.
"We were worried a little bit about editorial," said Hu. "We will still maintain the DNA of our magazine, but the market is very conservative, whether it is in terms of reader taste or the media regulations."
Hu would not reveal the identity of the SCMP's mainland joint-venture partner, other than to say it is based in Beijing. She also refuted the suggestion that Maxim had lost ground to archrival FHM, which launched in China in May this year.
Market concerns delay launch of Maxim in China
Seven months after announcing its Greater China rollout, Maxim China is expected to hit mainland newsstands before year-end.