The Chinese edition of Rolling Stone magazine has been banned after only three weeks of publication.

The Shanghai bureau of the Government Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP), which keeps a close eye on new magazines for signs of dissent, said Rolling Stone had not fulfilled all the procedures to publish.

In recent months, government censors have clamped down on free expression in newspapers, magazines, websites and weblogs. Without being explicit, the watchdog hinted there was more to the decision to stop publication than a technicality. “It’s not simply a matter of procedure because, even if they handed in the right application, whether we would approve it remains a question,” said Liu Jianquan, a spokesman for GAPP. “So we have issued them a warning and told them to stop their illegal action.”

When the magazine was launched, editor-in-chief, Hao Fang, wrote: “From today onward, let us summon our readers that we in the East may also create a miracle worthy of this era.” The first edition carried a photo of Cui Jian - a protest singer best known for “Nothing to My Name”, a song widely seen as referring to the 1989 Tiannamen square massacre.

The interview inside avoided touching on political subjects, although Hao had insisted the the magazine would do so during its lifetime.

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