The Chinese Animation and Comic Publishers Association was founded on June 26, 1998 by Taiwan publishers of comics, companies in the animation industry, firms involved in peripheral products and marketing companies.

The organization is the most influential of its kind in Taiwan's animation and comics industry.

Animation and comic arts on Taiwan have a history dating back over eight decades. In the industry's infancy, Taiwan's publishers of comics were licensed to publish Japanese comics and also were instrumental in nurturing a generation of local comic artists. As a result, Taiwan comics exhibit a unique combination of Japanese and Chinese elements. Locally produced comics have not only been a huge hit at home, but have also become quite popular overseas and have attracted the attention of foreign publishers, who have been licensed to print and distribute Taiwan comics in Europe, Japan, China and Southeast Asia. Taiwan comics have increasingly gained international attention in recent years, with works having been invited to take part in the Chambery Comics Festival in France. Comics from Taiwan have also won awards at competitions in Europe and Japan, highlighting the potential of Taiwan comic products with regards to international copyrights.

In recent years, the Association has worked aggressively to develop the market for animation and comics. In addition to annually organizing the Comic Exhibition (the 2017 event will be the eighteenth), the Association holds major promotional activities, which each year attract hundreds of thousands of people. For years, attendance at the annual Comic Exhibition has topped 100,000. In an effort to better serve industry participants, Taipei International Comics & Animation Festival was held from February 14 to February 18 this year, with the event turning out to be an enormous success. In recent years, the association has taken over responsibility from the MINISTRY OF CULTURE for promotional activities such as the Graphic Novel Awards and the Golden Comic Awards. These activities help to uncover new and upcoming comic artists. Meanwhile, to help publicize Taiwan comics in the international arena, the Association assists comic artists in registering to take part in international competitions. The Association has cooperated with the government in creating the Taiwan Comic Information Network, providing a platform for interaction between comic artists, publishers, distributors, and the public. The website provides information in Chinese, English and French, enabling the international community to have a better awareness and understanding of Taiwan's comics.

In 2006, the Association invited important industry representatives from Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan to take part in the highly successful Taipei International Animation and Comic Industry Conference to assist the local industry to expand into the Greater China market. In 2008, a large-scale delegation was assembled to participate in an exhibition in Thailand and the China International Cartoon & Animation Festival, which is the most influential event of its kind in mainland China. Taiwan pavilions were established to promote the best of Taiwan comics and to encourage licensing negotiations and the sale of peripheral products. This helped to create an awareness of "comics of Taiwan."

The comics market in recent years has been impacted by a weak economy, diminishing originality and piracy. In response, the association in 2014 held, in conjunction with the 2nd Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival, the 2014 Taipei International Comics and Animation Summit. Comic and animation artists from Taiwan, China, Japan, and Hong Kong, along with representatives from well-known companies in the industry, were invited to discuss the state of the market and share their experiences in the successful cross-marketing of comics and animation with other industries. The experts also examined the secrets behind the successful marketing of various artists, how to attract new artists into the fray, efforts to entice younger individuals to become involved in the culture and creative industry, and the desire to develop potential business opportunities. The summit was a resounding success.

In an effort to promote marketing of comics and bolster downstream distribution, in November 2008 Japan's Kodansha publishing house was invited to Taiwan to hold a seminar on the marketing of comics. This conference was aimed at providing new ways of thinking to Taiwan's midstream and downstream comics industry, helping them to overcome hurdles and create blue ocean opportunities. In 2009, the association brought together publishers and over 200 comics vendors throughout Taiwan in a large-scale promotional activity that was held in November. The month-long event, which features a lucky draw, has been wildly popular over the past three years, helping to boost sales of comics and business for publishers.

More and more comics- and animation-related firms are looking to join the Association in light of the success it has displayed in promoting the industry. Initially, the Association was home to comic publishing houses, distributors and agents for animation products. Over the years, publishers of science fiction novels, dolls, Gundam, and peripheral products, such as e-books, have also joined. In addition to creating joint business opportunities and forming an important industrial chain, the Association has won increasing attention from government agencies, the industry and the academic sector, hoping that the comics industry will play an important role in the development of Taiwan's cultural innovation industry.

In light of the impact of intellectual property issues in recent years and in an effort to expand the range of services to its members, the CACPA is introducing a mascot named Manbo. It is hoped Manbo's frequent appearance not only will create greater awareness for the association, but also strive to achieve the mission of revitalizing the local comic and animation industry and helping to boost sales through various marketing channels.

To date, the association has received ample funding to promote its goals, and it would like to specially express its gratitude to the eight sponsors of the Comic Exhibition for their longstanding donations and sponsorship.