International publications will be accessible to all participants at the Olympic Games in 2008, when a ban on the printing of foreign newspapers and magazines is temporarily lifted, says Liu Binjie, minister of the General Administration of Press and Publication.
This is in accordance with the practice adopted by previous Olympics hosts that overseas delegations and athletes can read newspapers from their home countries, Liu said.
To achieve this, overseas publications will be printed in the country, imported from abroad, or electronic versions will be accessible. Currently some foreign publications, imported from overseas, are already available in hotels and other venues where foreigners patronize.
"We will sum up the experience of the Olympic Games period and map out the measures to be taken in the future," Liu said in an interview on the sidelines of the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
Liu said the country's laws ruled out foreign publications being directly printed and distributed in China.
Liu said the country backs local newspapers, publishing groups and government news websites to engage in domestic and overseas exchanges as part of broad reforms of the previously State-sponsored industry.
The long-awaited listing of Liaoning Publishing Group, one of China's largest, is expected to go ahead within two months, along with 13 other publishers.
Liu said the publisher would now list all its operations, but soaring local stock prices has prompted it to issue its shares domestically, rather than in Hong Kong as originally planned.
"By being listed they can raise capital and boost their strength, further extending the reach of our propaganda policies," Liu said.
Liu said any newspaper that successfully reforms its corporate structure could list in China or overseas.
（英语点津 Linda 编辑）
About the broadcaster:
Marc Checkley is a freelance journalist and media producer from Auckland, New Zealand. Marc has an eclectic career in the media/arts, most recently working as a radio journalist for NewstalkZB, New Zealand’s leading news radio network, as a feature writer for Travel Inc, New Nutrition Business (UK) and contributor for Mana Magazine and the Sunday Star Times. Marc is also a passionate arts educator and is involved in various media/theatre projects in his native New Zealand and Singapore where he is currently based. Marc joins the China Daily with support from the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
