Media playing their role as a bridge between peoples

As China's clout in the international arena and the significance of Australia-China ties are both on the rise, Australians now look to more information about China in such areas as the Chinese economy, Chinese culture, investment opportunities in China and Australia-China ties.

To meet this demand, China Daily and Fairfax Media were among a dozen Chinese and Australian media outlets that signed bilateral cooperative agreements on Friday in Sydney.

Under the agreement, Fairfax Media's daily newspapers - the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and the Financial Review - will publish an English edition of China Daily's China Watch publication once a month. The first edition was published on Friday, drawing favorable responses from Australian readers on both the content and the model of cooperation.